Love is Blind
by StormLover
Summary: A/U Ororo is at a crossroads. Can Logan help her choose the right path? A/N The first five chapters have been slightly revised. Please R & R.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Ororo sat in front of the mirror and meticulously applied her makeup. As she added her mascara, she thought about her relationship and some things she had noticed about it over the last few months.

As a new partner in her father's law firm, she had built her career based on her attention to detail. She would scour a document or details of a case until all of the pieces fit. If there were discrepancies, she and her team would research them to determine how they fit in the puzzle. Because of this tenacity, she and her team were victorious in nearly all of their cases, resulting in them having the highest number of wins at the firm. Including this last case where more than $100 million dollars of compensation was at stake. Ororo and her team presented such an airtight case that the defense decided that it would be cheaper to settle out of court.

The outcome of that case impressed her father so much, that he offered her the position of partner. Most people when they heard the news were shocked that she had not already attained that level in the firm, especially with her father as the lead attorney. But they didn't know her father or the Munroe way. You had to work for whatever you got.

After law school, Ororo wasn't surprised when her father offered her a junior associate position at his firm. Though he didn't have to, he reiterated the lessons he had drilled into her and her brother since they were kids – work for what you have; you would appreciate it more. Though the road was long and hard, she appreciated her father's decision.

Now, a day after hearing the news, she was wondering how a person could have such tenacity in one area but lack it in others. For her, that area was her relationship with her boyfriend Damion. A successful lawyer in his own right, Damion made the decision to trade in corporate law for entertainment law. Now a year later, he was deeply entrenched in the entertainment world, traveling all over the world to make contacts and changing his work hours from 7am – 5pm to 5pm – 7am.

It wasn't that she was upset about him making the career change. She had on several occasions joined in him on business trips and attended several exclusive, celebrity thrown parties, like the one happening tonight. But it was the small things that she had begun to notice, like not being able to reach him at certain times, late night whispered conversations, and vague answers to her questions about how things were going with his efforts to build his clientele among other things.

As a lawyer, her mind immediately went to the idea of something's not right so let's get to the bottom of it. But as a girlfriend, Ororo wanted to believe that she had no reason to not trust him. Sure, he was the epitome of the idea of tall, dark, handsome, and intelligent. With a chiseled body that wore a suit well, an analytical mind that rivaled hers and a disarming charm he uses to work a room, be it a courtroom or a ballroom, the man had a lot going for him and he knew it.

They met during a case where they were the lead attorney for their respective sides. One party was suing the other for breach of contract and trademark infringement. Ororo fought hard to maintain her focus during the case because she thought he was extremely attractive and charismatic. She learned later that Damion was just as attracted to her as she was to him.

As soon as the last document was signed and notarized, Damion asked her out to dinner and Ororo accepted. Their relationship became a fast pace love affair that at times left her breathless and a bit discombobulated. So they slowed it down and allowed it to move at a comfortable pace.

A month ago, Damion surprised Ororo with a romantic getaway. They hadn't had much time to see each other because of work, so Damion decided to take them away from it all to disconnect from the world and reconnect with each other. After a simple dinner, they retired to the living room of their seafront suite. Ororo was shocked when Damion began speaking and went down on one to ask her to be his wife. With tears flowing down her face, she said yes.

Since their returned from the trip, she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. It was because of that feeling that she had begun to notice the small things. She knew before she could really deal with this issue, she would need proof and until then, she would put thoughts away and focus on something more pleasurable– like the possibility of seeing one of her favorite singers at the party tonight.

The Throw Down in the A-Town as it was billed was slated to be one of Atlanta's biggest parties of the year. The Who's Who of the entertainment world is said to be on the guest list. Damion, friends with the host of the party, got one of the elusive invites at the last minute and called her yesterday to ask her to be his plus one.

Ororo had hoped to have a quiet, peaceful night alone at home because of the long week she had, but Damion convinced her that they could celebrate her promotion while rubbing elbows with the elite of the R&B and Hip Hop world. When she didn't respond, he mentioned Ne-Yo would definitely be at the party. Ne-Yo was a handsome singer, songwriter and gentleman who Ororo thought could do no wrong. Damion had teased her about the Ne-Yo being her other man.

Even with the possibility of seeing her "other man", she still hesitated. Damion knew she was tired but he needed her to be there with him so he tried harder, explaining that this was a good excuse for them to dress up and they would be spending some quality time together, since they both had been busy with work for the past two weeks. After a few minutes, she agreed to go with him but made him promise to not stay out too late.

Now as she continued getting ready for their night on the town, she smiled as she thought about being in the same room with Ne-Yo. _I wonder if he's performing_, she thought as she stepped into her dress and went to look at herself in the mirror. Her dress was a form fitting, one shoulder, floor length white dress with a thigh high split. The dress had two crossed lines of silver and black sequins, flowing diagonally across her torso and ending at the split. Simple yet elegant.

Ororo walked over to her closet just as the doorbell rang. Going to the security panel on the wall, she saw Damion looking up at the camera. Keying in the code, she disarmed the alarm and opened the door. She retrieved her black and silver strappy stilettos and sat on her bed to put them on.

She was buckling the last shoe when he entered the room.

"You look beautiful," he said, taking her hand and helping her to stand.

"Thank you," she replied smiling, turning around so he could see the back. She smiled as she heard his low whistle.

"I think we should forego the party and spend the night in, enjoying each other," he replied, pulling her close and kissing her deeply, running his hands down her back to cup her backside.

"If we do that, then you will miss out on this opportunity to make some connections," she replied, using the line he used to convince her to attend the event with him.

"That's okay. You're worth it," he teased, coming up behind her and rubbing himself against her.

"Stop it, Damion," she said, giggling as she headed into her bathroom to put space between them, "And besides, I didn't get all dolled up to stay home."

"I guess you're right," he replied, coming to stand behind her as she refreshed her lipstick and put on her Chanel No. 5, "The Limo is waiting. We should leave soon so we can be fashionably late." He kissed her on the shoulder and got a smile in return.

"Five minutes tops," she told him, getting a nod in response. Turning back to the mirror, Ororo sighed and finished getting ready.

A few minutes later, Ororo headed toward the living room where she heard Damion on the phone.

"Yeah, after I drop her off. I'll see you tonight. Bye."

Ororo, not letting on that she heard him, called out that she was ready from where she stood in the hall. As he helped her wrap her shawl around her shoulders, she couldn't help but wonder, who he was talking too and what he was talking about.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Earlier that day, Logan and his partner Luke Cage, sat in Logan's office going over the jobs for the night. Among them was the lucrative contract Luke had landed, providing security for the celebrity party being thrown by a local hip hop artist turned actor and entrepreneur. Ludacris, better known as Luda, and Luke went to high school together and were close friends. Whenever he was in town, Luda would call the company to serve as his personal security.

Since the guest list of the party included some heavy hitters in the Hip Hop world, Cage called for an all hands on deck security detail, except for those who were working other cases. He hadn't broken the news to his partner about his role in the job yet and had purposefully waited until nearly the last minute to do so.

LHC Security, Inc. was one of Atlanta's most well known companies specializing in personal and home security. The team was made up of former cops and IT professionals who had grown tired of stringent bureaucracies. At LHC, they found a group of likeminded people who dedicated their lives to making sure the world was safe for everyone. They knew the idea was lofty but it worked for them.

Luke's background was a little more colorful with his stint as a reformed gangbanger who rose quickly through the ranks of the Atlanta Police Department and eventually became a detective. Disenchanted with the treatment of cops and civilians alike, Cage decided to strike out on his own. He and Logan had worked together on a few cases and come to know and share a mutual respect for each other. He happened run into Logan at a security convention in the city. They struck up a conversation and Cage learned that Logan, a military vet and bounty hunter, was looking to get into the personal security business. So as they say, the rest is history.

Known internally as Salt and Pepper for obvious reasons, Logan and Luke used their "talents" as needed to get the job done. They recognized that people were very color conscious and some refused to deal with people of a different race. All of their new clients had to meet with both owners and based on that interaction, the team for the job would be selected. They knew it was an interesting business model, but it worked for them and their clients were happy.

"So what's the deal with this all hands on deck tonight?" Logan asked, just as a knock sounded at his office door. Normally, his assistant would let him know when he had visitors.

"I should get that," Luke said, ignoring Logan's question. Luke pulled open the door just enough for the person to pass him what looked like dry cleaning.

_Why is he having his dry cleaning sent to my office_, Logan thought watching as his partner closed the door and hang what looked like a suit on the coattree.

"To answer your question, it's a precaution due to the large number of celebs on the guest list. They will have their own guys but Luda requested extra security since he didn't want anyone saying that he couldn't provide adequate security for his function. I figure the best way to approach this is to have a few guys going undercover while others who looked the role would be posted in certain locations throughout the club," Luke told him.

"Okay so who's undercover and who's posted?" Logan asked, knowing the answer before he asked but wanted his thoughts confirmed.

"Well, some of us blend in more than others so I've already handed out the assignments to the crew and let them leave so they can get ready for the evening. That just leaves you and there's your suit," Luke said, pointing to the suit on the coat tree.

"And why would I need a suit if I'm posted?"

"Because it's a semi-formal, Hip Hop party. You can't come up in there with anything you have in your closet so I took the initiative and got you a suit. I think the pants are a bit too long so I have a seamstress coming over to hem them for you. And she should be here in," Luke said, looking down at his watch, just as another knock sounded at the door, "Now."

Logan just looked at his friend. He couldn't believe the nerve of the guy but was secretly glad he did because Logan knew if he had to attend the party, he didn't have anything to wear.

"Luke," Logan started, feigning anger.

"You can thank me later, bro. I have to look out for my boy, right," Luke said, opening the office door and letting the seamstress in.

"You have an hour to get the pants mended. You have what you need?" Luke asked the seamstress who pulled a small cart behind her.

"Yes sir. You have the payment?" the older woman asked, looking up him.

"Yes ma'am. See the secretary on your way out," he told her before turning to Logan. "Alright man. Josh will be your driver tonight and I told him you would meet him downstairs at 6pm. Don't be late. I'm leaving to go get ready and get the wife."

"Jessica not letting you go alone?" Logan asked, getting to his feet. He had resigned himself to his fate and went over to grab the suit from the coattree as the seamstress set up her makeshift work area.

"Nope. When I told her who was throwing the party and who would be there, she made me promise to come home and get her. She left Jasmine with her mom and she's getting ready as we speak. I'm working but she's calling it date night. Go figure. Anyway, holla at cha later, bro. Peace," Luke said and headed out the door.

Logan chuckled at his friend. Though hot headed at times, Logan had to admit that he was impressed by the way Luke was handling business, especially this party. Taking the suit in his private bathroom to change, Logan was shocked to see a shirt, tie, cuff links, and even cologne with a note from Jessica saying that she hoped that he found a friend tonight.

Logan chuckled again, shaking his head at his friend and his wife. Logan had broken up with his last girlfriend a few months ago and had taken it pretty hard. It turned out that she had plans that didn't include him. Instead of settling down with him, the person he thought was the one packed her stuff and left him for a wealthy businessman she met one day while visiting Logan at the office.

Since then, he had spent more time at work. Luke's wife, Jessica, also a former cop and part time employee of LHC, was working on a special assignment and noticed it. She asked her husband about it and Luke shared the story with her. Being someone who loved love and wanted her friends to experience what she had with Luke, Jessica decided she would help him find a woman. Hence the dress shirt and accessories.

_We'll see if the gift works_, he thought, leaving the bathroom and stepping up on the stool so the seamstress can make her measurements.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Damn, she fine_, they all thought as they watched the white haired beauty enter the ballroom. Ludacris, Logan, and Luke stood near the door to greet the guests.

She and her escort walked over to them and Luda introduced him to the others.

"Damion, my man. Good to see you," Ludacris greeted him before turning to greet Ororo, "Ms. Ro, it's such a pleasure to be in your presence once again."

Ororo smiled at her friend and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Cris, you need to stop," she said, "How have things been?"

"Good, good. I'm glad you and Damion could come. Let me introduce to you to Logan and Luke of LHC Security, Inc. They are here to make sure that everything is copacetic," Ludacris said, "I work with them whenever I'm in the A and they're good at what they do."

"Really? My father is looking for a company to provide security for his next event. Do you have a card?" Ororo asked.

"Yes, ma'am. Here you go," Logan said, not believing the way the conversation was going. _Nothing like a good reference_, he thought as he pulled one from his pocket and handed it to her. When their hands connected, a slight shock passed between, startling them.

"You okay?" Logan asked her, shaking his hand slightly.

"Yes, I think so."

"You sure?" Damion asked, looking concerned.

"Yes. How about we go grab a table before they are all taken," Ororo said and got a nod from Damion.

Turning back to Logan and Luke, Ororo said, "Thank you for the card, Logan. I will make sure my father gets it. Have a good evening." Damion nodded to them before guiding Ororo through the crowd.

"Man, now that's a dime piece right there," Luke said, following Ororo's movements as she walked with Damion to a table.

"Yeah, she's a looker alright," Logan told him, "Better not let Jessica hear you talking like that."

"I'm use to it now," Jessica said, startling them as she came up from behind, "I'm not worried though." She threaded her arm through her husband's and kissed him on the cheek. "He knows what he has at home and," she said, pausing to pat her purse, "he knows I carry and am not afraid to use it."

"What can I say? I love a dangerous woman," Luke replied, causing them to laugh, "Jess, let's leave Logan to his post so we can go mingle and work the room. Talk to you later, bro."

For Logan, the night went by slowly. He kept his eyes peeled and checked in with his team, who were stationed at various locations in the ballroom.

As it progressed, he couldn't seem to get the woman Ms. Ro out of his mind. He made sure to stand in place where he could keep her in his peripheral vision. He thought she was beautiful but it was something about her that drew him to her.

As a person who didn't believe in love at first sight, he was slightly puzzled by his reaction to their short interaction but he couldn't help it. He felt an instant connection and couldn't explain it but he instinctively knew he wanted to get to know this woman better.

_Give it up ole man, she has a man_, he thought, requesting a cranberry juice from the bar. Sipping his drink, he spied her walking from the bathroom. Even from a distance, he could tell there was something wrong. He watched as she approached her beau and said a few words and walked away. Damion reached for her and turned her around to face him. Logan took an involuntary step in their direction but stopped when he released her and she turned and hurried through the crowd, bumping into a several people in her haste.

She didn't see him until the last minute and bumped into his arm, causing him to spill his drink on his white shirt.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry," she said quickly, looking at him with teary eyes, "I'll pay to get it cleaned. Here." She handed him one of her cards and continued out of the door, with Damion hot on her heels.

Damion returned a few minutes later, wet and cursing to himself. Logan watched as he made his way over to a female who had a smile on her face. Damion roughly took her arm and headed toward the rear exit.

After the door closed behind them, the room buzzed with gossip. He overheard someone say that the guy was engaged to the one in white but cheating with the chick in blue.

_Bad move, bub_, Logan thought as he tried to clean up as much of the juice off his shirt as he could. Adjusting his coat to cover the stain, Logan went back to his post to wait out the rest of the night.

As the night winded down, Logan's thoughts turned again to Ororo. He had read her card to learn that her name was Ororo Munroe, esq. He felt bad about what happened and sympathized with her. He hoped she would be okay but he knew from experience that pain like that was hard to get over.

Soon after the last call, Luke and Jessica walked up to him.

"I figure we should stick around until after the," Luke began but was cut off when Jessica spoke.

"Logan, what happened to you?"

"Ororo bumped into me on her way out the door," he replied.

"Is she the one with the white hair?" Jessica asked, and Logan nodded his head, "That was a messed up situation. I heard the other woman was in the bathroom, talking to Damion and Ororo overheard the conversation," Jessica told them, "I hope she's okay. I don't think I would have been as calm as she was if something like that happened to me."

She looked up at her husband and Luke got the message loud and clear. Logan coughed, hiding a smile behind his hand. Leave it to Jessica to use a situation like that to keep Luke in line.

"Anyway, like I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," Luke said, dodging a love lick from his wife, "I think we can jet after the last celeb leaves. Luda is already gone. Jess and I will do another walk through and we can meet up here and head back to the office to get your car since I let Josh and a few others leave. That cool with you, Lo?"

"Yeah, that's cool."

Back at his place, Logan stood out on his balcony, smoking one of his favorite cigars. Taking a drag, he exhaled as he looked down at the card in his hand. He had been contemplating calling Ororo. He wanted to see how she was doing but wasn't sure if it was okay for him to call.

Sighing, he put out the fire on his cig and decided to call. Dialing the number, he mentally went over the message he would leave and was shocked into silence when she answered the phone.

"This is Ororo. How can I help you?"

"Is anyone there?" she asked, impatiently.

"Um, hi. I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to pick up," Logan told her, "This is Logan Howlett. We met at the party earlier today."

"I remember. I'm really sorry about your shirt," she told him, sitting on the side of her bed, "I will take care of the cleaning bill."

"Thanks but that's not why I'm calling. I wanted to check on you to see if you were okay."

"Not really but I will be," she replied, "Thank you for calling, Logan. Again, I'm sorry about the shirt."

Logan heard the finality in her voice and he figured he should end the call.

"It's just a shirt, it can be cleaned. I hope you feel better soon," he told her.

"Thank you. I will."

"Have a good night, Ms. Ororo."

"You too, Logan. Thank you for calling to check on me. That was sweet."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_This can't be happening_, Ororo thought as she gazed at herself in the bathroom mirror in her room at her parent's house. Wiping a tear from her eye, her mind replayed the events that led to her to her parents' house.

After making a pit stop and washing her hands, Ororo noticed Damion's co-worker, Delilah, sitting on one of the couches in the restroom lounge area. Deciding to say hello, she walked toward her. When she got closer, she heard Delilah say Damion's name. She stopped and waited. Delilah, so engrossed in her conversation, didn't notice Ororo standing a few feet behind her.

"So you're going to drop that bitch Ororo off and come see me, right?" Delilah asked, looking at her nails.

Ororo could not believe her ears. It took every ounce of her strength to wait until she had more information. As she needed was specifics.

"Touchy, touchy. It was only a figure of speech. So I was thinking we could do a repeat of Rio when you come by tonight. I will be in the bedroom waiting, wearing nothing but a smile."

That's all Ororo needed to hear. She cleared her throat. When Delilah turned around, her mouth dropped open.

"It all makes so much sense now," Ororo told her calmly, before walking out the door to confront her soon to be ex-fiancée. The last thing Ororo heard before the door closed was Delilah saying, "She knows."

When she turned the corner, she saw Damion putting his phone in his pocket.

"How long has it been going on?" Ororo asked him, fighting hard to control her anger.

"Ro, what are you talking about?" he asked.

"You know what I'm talking about, Damion. Now answer the damn question. How long have you be messing around with Delilah?" Ororo asked.

"Ro, it's not what you think," he told her.

Ororo, needing to get away from him before she did something she would regret, brushed past him, headed to the front door. She took two steps before Damion reached out and grabbed her elbow, turning her back to face him.

"Ro, we need to talk about this," he said angrily.

"Either you get your damn hands off me or you are going to have a very bad night," she told him, her tone lethal. Damion, seeing the fury in her eyes, let her go. She turned and hurried away, bumping into people in her haste to leave.

By the time she reached the bar, her vision was bleary due to the tears that threatened to fall. She bumped into something solid and saw that it was Logan, the security guy. She caused him to spill his red drink on his white shirt.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry," she said quickly, looking at him with tear-filled eyes, "I'll pay to get it cleaned. Here." She handed him one of her cards and continued out of the door, with Damion hot on her heels.

She hailed one of the taxis and got in before Damion could reach her. As soon as she shut the door, the bottom fell out of the sky, releasing a torrent of rain. Ororo struggled to maintain her composure but she couldn't stop the tears from falling.

It was a little after midnight when she arrived to her parents' home in the southern part of DeKalb County. Pulling up to the gate, she keyed in the security code. The taxi pulled through the gate, drove up the winding driveway, and parked at the front of the door. By the time she got out of the cab, she had regained her composure. She walked to the door and keyed in her code to open it.

Entering the foyer, Ororo was surprised to see her mother and father coming towards her.

"Why are you guys still awake?" she asked them, hoping they didn't notice her red eyes.

"Damion called to see if you were here. When your father told him you were not, he said that you may be on your way here. He wouldn't say why on the phone but he said he was on his way here," her mother told her.

"What's going on, Ororo? Why is this man calling my house at this time of night?" her father asked, standing beside his wife.

"We broke up," she told them simply, taking in their reactions. Before either of them could speak, she said, "I don't want to go into it right now but I'll tell you everything tomorrow. I just need some time alone, okay?"

"Baby, are you alright?" her mother asked, touching the side her face.

"No, not really," she replied honestly, kissing her on the cheek.

She turned toward her father. "See you in the morning?" she asked, kissing her father's cheek.

"We'll be here, baby," he replied, watching her head toward the stairs.

"I'll call Damion back to tell him not to come over," Ororo said tiredly, climbing the stairs slowly. Ororo looked up and saw her older brother standing at the top of the stairs.

"You okay kiddo?" Oliver asked, rustling her hair. He was in town visiting from New York with his new wife.

"I will be," she said, and he could hear the sadness in her voice.

"Want me to kick his ass?" Oliver asked half-jokingly, having overheard the conversation.

She looked at him and gave him a slight smile. She was happy he was there.

"As nice as that sounds right now," she said, kissing him on the cheek, "That won't be necessary."

"Well, if you change your mind, just say the word," he told her, hugging her despite her damp dress.

"Thanks, O. It means more than you know," she said, going into her room.

Ororo took off her dress and hung it up to dry. Wrapping herself in a towel, she pulled her phone from her purse and dialed Damion's number. He picked up on the first ring.

"Ororo, where are you?" Damion demanded, "I've called all over the place looking for you."

"I'm at my parents' house. My father told me you called. Please don't call them again and don't come over. I don't want to see you and am not in the mood to talk to you right now."

She hung up before he could reply. She turned off her personal cell phone and put it on the nightstand next to her bed.

Just as she was heading to the bathroom, her work phone started ringing.

"This is Ororo. How can I help you?"

When she didn't hear a response, she asked, "Is anyone there?"

"Um, hi. I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to pick up," Logan told her, "This is Logan Howlett. We met at the party earlier today."

"I remember. I'm really sorry about your shirt," she told him, sitting on the side of her bed, "I will take care of the cleaning bill."

"Thanks but that's not why I'm calling. I wanted to check on you to see if you were okay."

"Not really but I will be," she replied, "Thank you for calling, Logan. Again, I'm sorry about the shirt."

Logan heard the finality in her voice and he figured he should end the call.

"It's just a shirt, it can be cleaned. I hope you feel better soon," he told her.

"Thank you. I will."

"Have a good night, Ms. Ororo."

"You too, Logan. Thank you for calling to check on me. That was sweet."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Logan sat at his desk the following morning, waiting for Mr. Munroe. Ororo's father called him bright and early that morning after receiving his card from his daughter. He expressed his need to meet with him right away.

Since he had planned to work a few hours that morning, he accommodated the request. He was curious about why Ororo's father needed to meet with him so quickly.

He had just saved the contract he was working on when the receptionist buzzed him.

"Mr. Howlett, there's a Mr. Munroe here to see you," Janice told him.

Pressing the call button, Logan told her, "Please send him up, Ms. Jackson."

Logan got up and headed to the elevator. Normally, the floor receptionist would bring guests back to the offices but because it was Saturday, Logan had to do it himself.

He reached the elevators just as the doors opened.

"Sarge?" Logan asked, not believing his eyes.

"Jimmy! How the hell are you?" David Munroe asked, grabbing Logan's hand and pulled him in a back thumping hug.

"Ororo's your daughter?" Logan asked, his back throbbing a little from the embrace.

"Don't you remember the stories of O and Ro-Ro?" David asked, unable to stop smiling.

"Yes sir but I never would have made the connection," Logan said, still struggling to get over his shock, "Where are my manners. Let's go to my office."

Entering his office, Logan motioned for the sofa.

"Coffee?"

"Yes, please. Black with a touch of cream."

"Coming right up."

"So this is what you've been up too? I wondered what happened to you after you left the outfit."

"I was a bounty hunter for a while but I lost the taste of hunting down people. I figured it would be easier to protect the ones wanting to be protected, so I ended up hooking up with a buddy of mine and the rest is history," Logan said, handing David his coffee, "What about you? Ororo never mentioned what type of business you're in."

"Ever heard of Munroe and Associates? My father was a big time lawyer and handed the business over to me and my brother when he passed. My brother kept the business afloat while I was away serving my country. Then when I got home, he handed it over to me and told me he was going to see the world."

"Nice," Logan said in awe, "You don't look like you aged a day in the last 10 years."

"That what's having good genes will do for you. Same for you…where's your gray, ole man?" David asked, chuckling at their inside joke.

Logan joined him in the laugh. They fell into a comfortable silence, each man deep in thought. Logan thought about the last time he saw Sarge.

David was a sergeant in the Army when they had an exchange program where American military officers would work with Canadian Army officials to help train new recruits. Logan was a part of the group of new recruits being trained. After three years, the training program ended. Though the program was deemed successful, the respective governments each felt their officers could do just as good of a job as their "neighbors".

During that time, Logan, a hot head forced to go into the military to avoid jail time, bumped heads with all of the authority figures. When the others had given up on him, Sarge wouldn't. There were many days where each would be at the others' throat but eventually Sarge wore down Logan's concrete wall and was able to get through to him.

Though they didn't keep in touch after the training program, Sarge was still one of the few men Logan trusted and respected. As he thought about it, Logan realized he never thanked the man who became his mentor and trusted friend.

"Sarge, you know saying thanks ain't one of my strongest points," Logan said, looking over at his mentor/friend, "But I wanted to say thanks for never giving up me. Who knows where I would be now if you had."

"Man, don't mention it. You just needed to know that there was somebody out there that cared whether you lived or died. If my son was in the same situation, I would hope someone would never give up on him," David replied, "Hell man, after a while, you were like my son. So I gave you what I gave him. He knew that some stuff was not going to be tolerated.

"Just like you, Oliver turned out alright. He got a good job up in New York and just got married a few months ago. We suspect he has a kid of his own on the way. I'll find out when I get home," he told him smiling, "My wife pitched a fit this morning when I left because we're having a family brunch. So I need to get back soon or my ass will be in the doghouse."

"We definitely don't want that," Logan replied, laughing.

"You got that right. I'm bad but my wife has me beat," David said, smiling at the thought of his wife, "Anyway, I know you were there when Ororo left the party last night. Did you hear what happened?"

"I have an idea but I'll let you tell me," Logan said, "How is she doing by the way?"

"Not good. The bastard cheated on her and she overheard the woman talking to him on the phone. Ro confronted him and went to leave but he grabbed her arm. He had the good sense to let her go," David told him, his anger evident, as he summarized what he daughter told him.

"Now, Jimmy. I've come a long way and matured a lot," he told him as he got to his feet and walked over to the windows to look out, "But I have to tell you, when Ro told me he put his hands on her, my family had to calm me down because I was on my way to the basement to get my shit and go handle him, you know."

"Yeah, I don't blame you. When I saw him grab her, I was about to go over but he dropped her arm after she said something to him. Then she headed out the door," Logan said, watching his mentor.

"Knowing Ro, she told him he would have a very bad night if he didn't let her go," David said, turning away from the window and heading back to his seat.

"I came here with the intention of talking to you about your company providing security for my event a month from Saturday. Now, since it's you, I want to ask you to do me a favor," David said, sitting back on the sofa.

"Sure, Sarge. Whatever you need," Logan replied, meaning it_. It's the least I can do to pay the man back from putting up with me so many years ago,_ Logan thought waiting for David to speak.

"Somehow, I knew you would say that," David said.

"My daughter needs to go away for a while to clear her head. She wants to go to our cabin in the mountains but none of us, her mother, her brother, nor I, can go with her. I can't send a member of my team because they have families and I don't want to keep them from their responsibilities," David began, "So I wondered if you would be able to go with her to keep an eye on her and make sure nothing happens to her. She wants to leave tomorrow morning and come back Friday."

Logan looked at his mentor, thinking it over.

"I'm willing to pay you $30,000 for the week, plus expenses."

The business side of Logan screamed Hell yeah! but the rational side thought that this could be a sticky situation being that Ororo was his mentor's daughter. Even so, Logan knew before the question was asked, that he would do whatever he could to help his mentor.

"Okay. I'll do it. We normally charge $1200 a day for full time security, and since it's you, I'll make it $700 a day," Logan said, hearing his partner's voice in his head about being crazy.

"Thanks, Jimmy for the offer, but I won't short change you like that. You're looking out for me so I have to look out for you. Think of the extra as a gift to you," his mentor said, getting to his feet.

Logan stood as well. "Yes sir. Thank you," Logan told him, reaching out his hand to him.

"You can thank me by keeping my baby safe," David replied, taking his hand and pulling him into a brother man hug.

Logan walked with him back to the elevator.

"Here's my card. Send me the contract for the security detail for Ro today and I'll sign it and get them back to you. Here's the check and keep your receipts and mileage and let me know so I can write another check," David told him as they made their way to the elevator, "We'll talk about the event when you guys get back. I'll let you and Ro handle the logistics about the trip. Until next time, my friend." David shook his hand and stepped into the waiting elevator. He waved as the doors closed, leaving Logan looking at his reflection the stainless steel doors.

_This just got interesting_, he thought, turning away and heading back to his office to call his partner and prepare to leave for the day. He had some packing to do.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Ororo sat next to her mother at the dining table. Her father had returned from his meeting and had join the rest of the family in the formal dining room for brunch.

"N'Dare, you would never guess who I ran into this morning," David said as his wife took the bowl of fruit from her daughter.

"Who?"

"Jimmy."

"Jimmy?"

"You know, the kid who had me considering leaving the army way back when," he replied, biting into his muffin.

"Oh, I remember now. The young man who you invited to the house one Christmas when the kids were in college."

"Yes, that's the one. He owns a security company and he's going to provide the security at the event," David said.

"Wait, I thought you met with Logan this morning," Ororo said, putting her fork down and looking at her father.

"I did. Jimmy goes by Logan now."

Ororo took a sip of her juice, not believing what she had just heard. _If Logan was Jimmy, that means_…, her thought trailed off and went back to that day, many years ago.

"So Oliver," David asked her brother, pulling Ororo out of her thoughts, "What's the big news you wanted to share with the family?"

Wiping his mouth, Oliver looked over at his wife who nodded her head.

"Well Dad," he started but was interrupted by the doorbell.

"I wonder who that could be?" N'Dare said, preparing to stand but her husband motioned her back into her seat.

"Sit tight, love. I'll get it," he replied, looking over at his daughter.

Ororo got the message from her father loud and clear. She hoped he was wrong.

"I wonder what's keeping Daddy," Ororo said after a few minutes, "I'll go see what's going on." Ororo stood and headed to the foyer where Damion stood just inside the door.

"Ro, baby," he said, interrupting her father.

"Daddy, would you give us a minute?" Ororo asked, not surprised to see him.

"Okay but Damion, a word of wisdom for you, son," David said, turning to him, "If you ever put your hands on my daughter again, it's going to be me and you. Understand?"

"Understood," Damion said through clenched teeth.

"Don't be long. We are having a family meeting," David told his daughter, before turning and heading back to the dining room.

"What are you doing here?" Ororo asked, once her father got out of earshot, "Did you not hear me when I said not to come to my parents' house?"

"I did but I really needed to talk to you so I can explain," he replied.

"And I told you that I needed time," Ororo said, her temper rising. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she continued, "Damion, we're having a family brunch and I need to get back."

"Okay but we will have to talk about this Ororo," he said, "I don't want to lose you and I know you don't want to lose me."

Ororo looked at him and laughed to keep from snapping on him. "You are truly something else. Don't call me or come by. I'll call you when I'm ready to talk. Have a good day," Ororo said crisply.

"Ro, don't do this. I need you," he replied.

"Bye Damion," Ororo said, opening the door for him.

When Ororo entered the dining room, all eyes turned to her.

"He's gone," she told them, taking her seat again. She figured her father told them who was at the door. "What I miss?"

"Not much. Your brother wouldn't reveal the news until you came back," her mother told her.

"Your sister's back, son. Now, tell us the news," David told him impatiently, wiping his mouth.

"Okay. Well, in a few months, we're going…," Oliver started but his father interrupted.

"I knew it. I told you, N'Dare. The girl's pregnant!"

"David, hush. Let the children tell us what's going on," N'Dare told him, "Go on, son."

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Oliver said, making his family smile, "In a few months, Shelia and I will be moving back here."

David, though happy about his son's pending move, was disappointed that they weren't expecting.

"That's great, son. You have a place in mind?" David asked, unable to hide his disappointment.

Ororo looked at her father's crestfallen face and hid a smile behind a fake cough. She looked over at her mother when she heard her own fake cough.

"I wanted to talk to you about living here for a while until we find a place of our own," Oliver said, struggling to keep a straight face, "I figured it would be easier for us if we lived here so you could spend as much time with your grandchild as you wanted."

David looked up at his son. "What did you say?"

Laughing now, Oliver told his dad again, "In a few months, you're going to be a grandpa."

David, still not believing his ears, turned to look at his wife who was smiling brightly with tears in her eyes. She nodded, knowing that was one of the things that David was looking forward too.

"Congrats you guys! That's great news!" Ororo said, getting to her feet to hug her sister-in-law, "Just be prepared. You won't see your child at all with these two around, especially since, according to them, they were going to be buried in their graves before they got grandkids at the rate we were going."

Laughing at her daughter's comment, N'Dare got to her feet and hugged her daughter-in-law. Pulling her to the side, N'Dare questioned Shelia about how things were going and how far along she was. David just sat and watched his family interact, happy that his suspicions were confirmed.

Hugging her brother, Ro whispered, "Thanks for getting them off my back."

Laughing, he said, "No problem. I know this may not be the best time to ask you with everything that going on but we want you to be the baby's godmother."

"Oliver, are you serious?" she asked.

"Yes," Shelia replied in her island accent, joining them and taking Ororo's hands in hers, "When we discussed it, we both had only one person in mind."

Ororo's eyes welled up. She struggled to suppress the emotions that were trying to surface.

"I'm honored. Yes, I would love to be the baby's godmother," she said, unable to stop the tears from flowing, "Excuse me."

Ororo hurried out of the dining room, heading to the stairs. When her feet hit the stairs, her family heard the pitter patter of rain.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ororo reached her room and walked over to her favorite spot. Her room faced the rear of the estate and the large, floor to ceiling windows provided was the best view of the back yard. Looking out, she waved her hand to return the weather back to its previous state. Needing to think about something else, Ororo thought back on the night when she learned that she was able to manipulate the weather.

She was twelve years old when her gift as her father called made itself known. Her brother was also gifted. His gift, the ability to move at a high rate of speed, manifested two years before hers. Their parent's sent him away to one of their close friends to manage it. Because of his long absences, he missed his sister but didn't want her to know it. So in an effort to show her how much he missed her, whenever he was home, he antagonized and teased her.

Ororo didn't know then why her brother teased her so much and she didn't like it. So one night after two years of enduring his teasing, they got into a heated argument. Ororo had reached her breaking point and when she yelled at him, electricity shot from her fingertips and the weather outside turned violent. The deafening clap of thunder and frightening close lightning strikes brought their parents running. They found Oliver crouching in the corner and Ororo passed out on the floor.

That was a tough year for the family. Because of the situation, their parents had to reveal their own gifts to Ororo. They had shared the information with Oliver only after he promised not to tell Ororo. They didn't want her to have to deal with parent's who were different from her if it turned out that she wasn't gifted. When they discovered that she was, they thought it was best to send her with her brother to the institute run by their close friend, Professor Charles Xavier, to help them with their gifts.

Ororo had done well with keeping her gift in check in the past and had passed her lessons at the institute with flying colors. However, the situation with Damion was pushing her control over her emotions to the limit. That's why she needed to get away.

She felt a tear slide down her face as she thought back the events of the previous night. When she saw the rain slowly cascading down the window, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, regaining control. When she opened her eyes, the sun was shining brightly, making the rain glisten on the grassy lawn spread before her.

Turning her thoughts to happier things, she was glad that her father respected her wishes to continue on with her plans to spend the upcoming week at their family's mountain house. His only requirement was that she allow him to send someone along with her to keep her "company" as he said. Basically, the person would be her security guard. Though she wanted to argue and say that she didn't need a babysitter, she figured it would be better to have company than be alone in the semi isolated house.

So Ororo agreed to his terms. When he mentioned who he was considering, she became unsure again. She remembered when Logan then known as Jimmy came home with her father during Christmas break. It was also the first time their parent's got to meet Shelia.

Ororo was home during winter break when her father arrived with Logan in tow. She saw that he was about her age and thought he was kinda cute for a white boy. Going through her own rebellious stage, Ororo had cut her waist length, white hair to a chin length bob and dyed it black, much to her mother's disappointment. Ororo had grown tired of the looks and questions about her heritage that she decided to make a change.

Since Oliver was preoccupied with Shelia, Ororo's father thought it would be nice if she could show Logan around the city and keep him company. She was shocked that her father would allow a guy that close to her but as he told her, he knew where Logan lived and Logan knew how crazy he was so she was safe with him.

Ororo, having nothing better to do, figured she would drag Jimmy along as she finished up her Christmas shopping. She didn't realize at the time that they would become fast friends, spending nearly early waking hour together. Though he had a rough looking exterior that caused them to get quite a few double takes as they walked around the malls and parks, he was a guy with a good heart and gentle spirit. She found herself opening up to him about stuff she hadn't told some of her closest girlfriends.

On their last night together, he shared with her the story of his childhood. As they sat next to each other on the back stairs of her family's old home, Ororo remembered taking his hand in hers. She could tell that it was hard for him to tell her that story but when she asked him if he wanted to stop, he shook his head, saying he wanted to tell her the story. So she listened. When he finished, they sat there in silence looking out at the backyard still holding hands. After a few minutes, Jimmy lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly and whispered, "Thank you for listening."

Ororo had struggled with the developing feelings she felt for him. After he kissed her hand, she wanted to tell him how she felt about him. Before she could speak, she heard her father call her name. "Time to go," Jimmy had said, standing and helping her to her feet. They stood looking in each other's eyes for what seemed like a lifetime before he leaned up and kissed her gently on the lips, repeating his thank you. Before she could respond, he had pulled away and led her to the back door. The next morning, she looked for him, only to learn from her mother that they were called back earlier than originally planned.

Ororo had always wondered what would have happened if she had told him how she felt.

A knock at her door pulled her from her thoughts.

"Come in," she replied, looking over her shoulder to see who would enter. She wasn't surprised to see her mother and father walking into the room.

"Came to check on your emotional daughter?" she asked them, attempting to joke about her quick exit.

"No," her father said, walking over to the window, standing beside her, "I came to enjoy the best view in the house and to make sure that the carpet was still intact."

"Whatever, Daddy," Ororo said, smiling at their family's inside joke about her favorite place to stand and think things over. Her parents had teased her about ruining their carpet in her room with all that pacing.

Father and daughter stood side by side, as her mother took a seat on her daughter's king size bed. After a few minutes, her father leaned down and kissed her cheek, whispering, "He didn't deserve you anyway. Someone better will come along."

Looking up in his eyes, she knew he could see the tears that stood in hers. Drawn by the love in his eyes, Ororo wrapped her arms around her father and sighed when he closed his arms around her, giving her that sense of security that she needed. N'Dare soon joined the duo and stood behind her daughter and wrapped her arms around her and rested her hands on her husband's side. The embrace only lasted a few moments but that was all that was needed for Ororo's heart to begin healing.

Pulling away, David wiped the tears from both his wife's and daughter's eyes before wiping his own. "I'll return shortly," David said softly, before leaving the mother and daughter alone.

"Feeling better?" N'Dare asked, patting the bed beside her as she sat.

"A little but it still hurts," Ororo replied.

"And it will for a while. The pain that comes with a broken heart is one of the worst you will ever experience. With time, the pain was decrease and before you know it, you will be ready to date again. Until then, all you can do is try to work through the pain. You going away for a few days will help."

"I hope so because I'm so upset that the least little thing sets me off and that's not good. I'm having a hard time controlling my gift," she said, feeling herself getting emotional again, "Mama what if I can't get back to control my emotions again?"

"Oh baby," N'Dare said, taking her daughter in her arms, feeling her trembling, fighting to control her emotions, "I hate that you are going through this but this situation is happening for a reason. Maybe you're being tested so that you can build up your abilities to control your gifts, so you can be ready for whatever is coming."

"But it's hard, Mommy," Ororo said sadly, sounding much like her 12 year old self.

"I know but your father and I raised you to be strong and resilient. You will get through this, baby. You have to start believing that as well," N'Dare said, pulling away and holding her daughter at arm's length, "Now, I'm sure you have much to do to prepare for your trip. Why don't you give Jimmy a call and go to your condo and get your things. See if Jimmy has plans for dinner and if not, invite him over. I would like to see him again."

Ororo's mother kissed her on the forehead and stood, going over to the door. With her hand on the handle, she turned back to her daughter. "This may not be the best time to say this but your father was right. Damion did not deserve you and the one that's for you is coming soon. Love you, baby."

"Love you too, Mommy," Ororo said into the empty room.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Hello," Logan answered his phone on the 2nd ring.

"Hi. Logan?" Ororo asked.

"Yeah. Ororo?" he asked, turning off the TV with the remote. He was home relaxing. Though he wouldn't admit it to himself, he was also waiting for the call Ororo's father said would be coming.

He had spent the time since his conversation with Sarge finishing up a few things at work and then speaking with his partner over the phone as he made his way home to pack for the trip. His bags waited near the door.

"Yes. I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time," she said, her voice sounding sad.

"No. Just watching TV," he replied, "Are you okay?"

"I've had better days. How are you?" she asked.

"No complaints," he replied.

"That's good to hear," Ororo said, "Daddy told us about the reunion this morning."

"Yeah, that was a big surprise. I never expected him to walk through my door and I really didn't think I would run into you," he replied, "I can't believe I didn't recognize you."

"I know. I had a pretty good dye job back then," she told him, "I always wondered what happened to you. It's like you just vanished after the program ended. Daddy talked about you a lot. I think he felt like he lost a son when you left."

Logan felt like a heel but he had a good reason to "vanish" – he was in love with his mentor's daughter. He felt that he couldn't be around his mentor and keep his feelings a secret so he opted for a total disconnect from the family. He hated doing it but he felt that was the best option at the time. Now he wasn't so sure.

"Really? I figured he had had enough of me during the program," Logan said, noticing that her voice sounded a bit better than before.

"Please. He talked about you to anyone who would listen. You were his success story. He mentioned you whenever people asked how his kids were doing. It took him a while to stop talking about you. He won't ever tell you this but he missed having you around. For him, I think that you going away was the worst thing."

Logan was at a loss for words. He didn't realize that Sarge felt that way about him.

After a few seconds of silence, Ororo asked, "You still there?"

"Yeah. I didn't realize," he began but couldn't find the words to finish the statement. He had always wanted a loving family since he was a kid, growing up with a drunken, abusive father and an abused, drunken mother. Now, to find out that he basically had one but didn't realize it was a hard pill to swallow.

"It's okay. Daddy figured when it was time, your paths would cross again and it did. He's trying not to show it but he's happier knowing that you are doing okay," she told, sensing the need to talk about something else, "But that's not why I called. He told me that you agreed to accompany me to the mountains."

"Yeah," Logan said, glad that she changed the subject. Her confessions made him more emotional than he thought. "Sarge said you wanted to get an early start."

"I do. Will 7am work for you?"

"7am is good. Where am I picking you up?"

"So I get a chauffeur too?" Ororo asked teasingly, causing Logan to smile.

"I'm throwing that in as an extra perk, since you're practically family."

"Aren't you sweet?" she replied, enjoying the conversation, "My parent's house. I'll text you the address soon when we hang up. Just a warning though, GPS has a hard time with the directions to the house. I'm leaving in a bit to go home to pack so if you want, you can meet me at my condo in Midtown and you can follow me back here."

"Thanks, but I'm sure I can find my way," he replied, not wanting her to go out her way.

"Okay," she said, pausing for a bit, "Oh, before I forget, Mama would like to invite you to dinner tonight if you're free."

_Okay, this continues to get more interesting by the minute_, Logan thought, getting off the couch. He wasn't expecting a dinner invite.

When he didn't respond right away, Ororo said, "I'm sorry. I should…"

"No, I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting a dinner invitation," he said, interrupting her, "I would be honored to have dinner with your family. I was quiet because the last two days have truly been interesting."

"Tell me about it," Ororo said, her voice sounding sad again, making him wish there was something he could do to cheer her up.

"On second thought, it might be a good idea for me to follow you there," he replied, figuring it would be a safer bet to follow her than the GPS, "So what time are you planning to head to your condo?"

"I'll be there around 4pm. If you want, you can come at 5pm. I should be done packing by the time you get there. Then we can head to my parent's house. We normally eat around 8pm so that will give you time to take the grand tour and settle in a bit before we eat."

"Sounds like a plan," he said.

"Great. I will text you my address now. See you later, Logan," Ororo told him before hanging up.

Logan hung up the phone and went to stand out on the back porch of his modest home. Built in the late 1950s, Logan had fallen in love with the fixer upper when he moved into the city. When he and Luke were out looking for a place for their business, they ended up in a neighborhood that was in the midst of revitalization. Homeowners were replacing the renters and the neighborhood was coming back to life. Empty, abandoned houses were being demolished and newer, modestly priced homes were going up in their place.

When Logan saw the house he would later claim as his own, it was boarded up with graffiti all over the outside of it. Somehow, despite his friend's discouragement, Logan saw a great house on a nice piece of land. He compared the house to his younger, rebellious self and thought that with some TLC, it would become the jewel he knew it could be.

After saving the house from demolition, Logan helped the construction company he hired to renovate the house. Though he was crashing at Luke and Jessica's while the work was done on the house, he was hardly there. When he wasn't working, he was at his house, working with the construction company, doing what he could to help push the project along. After six months, the house looked like a totally different place. He made Luke and Jessica promise to wait until his house warming party before they saw it.

When the day came, Luke and Jessica was shocked speechless. The 4 bedroom, 3 bath ranch house featured a full, completed basement, and a doubly enforced deck that ran the full length of the back of the house. The landscape featured flowers that would bloom year round and a few fruit trees. The backyard was fenced in and featured a small in ground pool and a patio area on one side and a grassy area on the other. Since it was only the three of them, they spent their time in the entertainment area in the basement, watching movies and munching on snacks made by the host.

Now six years later, the neighborhood had blossomed with a diverse group of people who cared about their property, were friendly and watchful neighbors, and shared the belief that home was a place of solace and peace.

Logan, standing on his porch as he called it, thought about the events of the day. He figured there was a reason why things from his past were becoming a part of his present. Regardless of the reason, he was intrigued to see how things would turn out, especially with Ororo. Though they only spent less than two weeks together, those were some of the best days of his life and he was looking forward to spending more time with her and her family. Who knows what will happen.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ororo guided her car through the streets of Downtown Atlanta. Her car seemed to instinctively know the route and needed little coaxing to close the distance between them and home. Her brother gazed out of his window in awe at the changes that took place in the city while he was away.

"Do they ever stop building?" he asked as a large crane hovered in the skyline, looking right at home among the many skyscrapers that dotted the midday sky.

"No, but I wish they would. It's getting a bit crowded down here," she said, as she turned into the parking deck of her building. Ororo lived in one of the many highrise condos that featured residences, restaurant and offices all in one building. The phrase Live, Work, Play had become the mantra of this generation of Atlantans, natives and transplants, who were tired of spending all of their time sitting in traffic, heading to the suburbs. Gone are the days where everyone travelled to downtown and left after seeing the sites. Now, Atlanta has become more like her northern sisters who offer its citizens living space in the midst of downtown so that if you had the cash, you could live in the center of it all, with nearly everything within walking distance. Life for many residents living downtown has become one where a car was optional.

Parking in her assigned space, Ororo noticed one of Damion's cars parked in the guest parking space for her condo.

"Ro, what's wrong. You look like you saw a ghost?" Oliver asked, after hearing a large clap of thunder. He knew it was caused by his sister since there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"Not a ghost, a jackass," she said angrily, locking her door and walking quickly to the entrance, with her brother falling behind her.

"A jackass? This is so not your style, Ro," Oliver remarked, standing beside his sister as the elevator took them up to the main floor.

"Well, when you're dealing with one, you have to call them like you see them," she replied, stepping out and greeting the doorman who held the door open for them.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Ro. Mr. Stewart is waiting for you at the bar," Jameson, the security guard sitting behind the desk informed her.

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Jameson," Ororo told him, glancing at her brother before heading to the bar.

Oliver read her silent message. He entered the bar after his sister and sat in a chair nearest the door.

Ororo's eyes met Damion as he sat in a lounge chair that faced the entrance.

Ororo, not interested in making a scene in a public place two days in a row, asked Damion to join her upstairs so they could talk.

Damion, figuring that his persistence had paid off, followed Ororo out into the hall with a smile on his face, as she fell in step with a guy who looked vaguely familiar.

"Oliver, is that you?" Damion asked finally recognizing him, as they waited for the elevator.

"Yeah. How's it going, Damion?" Oliver asked, not moving to take the hand Damion offered.

"It's going, man. Just need to speak with your sister for a minute. She's a hard woman to catch up with," Damion replied, in an attempt to break the tension in the air.

"I'm sure. Finding out that my fiancée is cheating on me would make me a hard person to catch up with too," Oliver said, looking Damion in his eyes.

"It's just a misunderstanding, O. Just something me and Ro have to talk about."

"I heard the last time you two talked, it got a tad bit physical. Is that the type of talking you planning to do this evening?" Oliver asked, his voice tinged with anger.

"Oliver," Ororo said quietly, subtly shaking her head no, as they entered the elevator.

"One more thing then I'll be quiet," Oliver said, looking at his sister then Damion, "Just so you know, that was the first and last time you put your hands on my sister."

"Are you threatening me?" Damion asked.

"No," Oliver said, looking at his reflection in the elevator door, adjusting his collar, "It's a promise."

"O, you don't scare me. Neither does your father. So all of these little promises ya'll making are for naught. I don't scare easily nor do I back down from a fight. So whenever you ready, motherfucker, bring it," Damion said, facing Oliver, his hands balled into fists.

Oliver chuckled evilly. "Boy, you don't know who you fucking with but if you keep running that mouth of yours, I will show you."

"Who in the fuck you calling Boy?" Damion asked, taking one step toward Oliver just as the elevators doors opened on Ororo's floor.

"Stop. Damion, go ahead and step out. Oliver wait," Ororo said, standing between the before they could make contact, "When we go inside, Oliver, you stay in the living room. I'm going to talk to Damion in the bedroom."

"Fine but leave the door open," Oliver told her, walking into the condo and heading to the kitchen.

Ororo sighed and motioned for Damion to enter. She led the way upstairs to her bedroom.

"I really don't appreciate at you just showing up here, Damion," she said, going to her closet to get her suitcase, "I thought I made myself clear this morning when I said I didn't want to see or talk to you."

"You did but I really needed to see you so I can give you this," Damion said, extending his hand toward her with the little blue box in his open hand, "I was hoping this would make you change your mind about talking to me."

"Really? You think that a box from Tiffany's will make me forget what you did?" Ororo told him, fighting to calm herself. She took a deep breath before saying, "You can put that away because I don't want it."

"Take it. I bought it for you," Damion told her.

"The only reason you bought it was because you thought you could buy me. Not happening," Ororo replied walking into her closet and grabbing more clothes. "Instead of trying to convince to me to accept your guilt gift, why not do some of that talking you said you needed to do."

"Ro, what happened to you? You've never been this way towards me," Damion said, not understanding how the woman he loved could treat him this way.

Ororo laughed mirthlessly at the asinine statement. "You're such a comedian, Damion," she told him, her laugh never reaching her eyes, "I've never treated you this way because I didn't know before yesterday that you were a lying, cheating bastard who only thought of himself and his needs. Does that answer your question?"

"Ro, I can explain," Damion began but was interrupted by the intercom.

"Yes, Mr. Jameson," Ororo said as she pressed the call button.

"There's a Mr. Logan here for you. Should I send him up?"

"Yes, please. Thank you."

"Who in the hell is Mr. Logan?" Damion asked angrily, following Ororo out of her bedroom and back down the stairs.

"That is no longer your concern," she said, stopping at the base of the stairs and turning to face him , "Now, I have given you your opportunity to talk. I need to take care of a few things so I would appreciate it if you would leave now."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me who that is?" Damion said as the doorbell chimed.

"Well, I guess you will see in a second."

"Hello Logan. You didn't have any trouble finding the place did you?" Ororo asked him after opening the door and stepping aside so that he could enter.

"No problem at all. The directions were easy to follow," Logan said, stepping aside so that Ororo could close the door. Standing behind her was her ex with an angry expression on his face.

"The security guy? You invited the security guy to your house? What's going on here, Ro?" Damion asked his voice rising with each question.

"First of all, don't raise your voice in my house. Secondly, it's none of your damn business who comes to my house. Lastly, I asked you to leave 5 minutes ago so have a good night," Ororo said opening the door and holding it open for him.

Damion angrily tucked the Tiffany's box in his pocket as stepped out the door. "This isn't over Ororo," he said, turning to face her outside of the door.

"It is, Damion. This is the bed you made, now lay in it," she said before slamming the door in his face.

"Hey Logan. Sorry you had to see that. I'm normally a calm person but as of late, Damion seems to bring out the worst in me," she told him, extending her hand toward the living room, "Come in. You can have a seat in the living room with Oliver while I finish up. You remember Oliver don't you?"

"Yes. It's good to see you, man. I heard you were married with a kid possibly on the way," Logan said, shaking Oliver's hand.

"Yeap. Dad told you about it this morning?" he asked.

"Yeah. He said he had to get back to the house because you had a big announcement. He guessed it was a grandbaby. Was he right?"

"Yeap. In about 5 months, I'll be a daddy." Oliver said, looking up as his sister descended the stairs with her bag, "Scary thought, right Ro?"

"Definitely but luckily for you, Mama and Daddy will be around to give you and Shelia a hand," Ororo said, coming out of the bedroom and standing near the door, "You guys ready?"


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: ** Thanks Taylor M. and Beautiful Storm Munroe for your feedback. Ro definitely comes from a family of fighters. Thought Damion likes to talk tough, he knows not to mess with our girl, especially with her father, brother and Logan around. Thanks for hanging in there with me with this one. This was suppose to be a simple story but it is becoming a bit more involved than I initially thought. Oh well, its a labor of love. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!_

* * *

Chapter 10

Logan replayed the scene at Ororo's condo in his head. He was impressed by the way Ororo handled the situation with Damion. He wasn't so sure he would have done the same it he was in her shoes.

Logan had parked in one of the guest spaces near the elevators. He noticed the late model royal blue Dodge Charger that was parked in the space marked with the same number as Condo. Logan let out a slow whistle when he saw the ride. A motorcycle man himself, he admired the beauty of the powerful machine, trimmed in chrome with chrome rims. He knew she had a top of the line hemi engine under the hood when the machine roared to life.

Ororo confirmed his suspicions when she opened the truck on the car so her brother could store her luggage. Throwing it in, she walked back over to where he idled in his company SUV and said, "Try to keep up," she said, smiling before heading back to her car.

_I'm sure she has upset a few of her neighbors_, he thought about the deafening roar of the engine as it started up and pulled out of the spot, taking the lead out of the garage.

Logan, use to tracking people, had no problems following the car through the darkening Atlanta streets. Thirty minutes later, he pulled up behind Ororo as they parked in front of her parents' palatial mansion.

_Sarge spares no expense_, Logan thought, whistling under his breath as he joined Ororo and Oliver as they neared the door.

"Welcome to Casa Munroe, Logan," Oliver said, holding the door open for them.

"Thanks. This is an amazing house," Logan said, taking in the impressive foyer.

"Wait until you see it in the daylight," Sarge responded walked toward them with his wife, "It's good to see you again, Jimmy." Sarge took his hand and pulled him in for a brotherman hug.

"See Ro, we've been kicked to the curb already," Oliver joked as David moved to greet his children.

"Yeap. And I'm going to do it again as soon as my grandbaby gets here," David joked, throwing his arm around his son's shoulders.

"At least you're honest. Speaking of the baby, where's Shelia?"

"Upstairs resting," N'Dare told them looking at Logan, "Jimmy, it's so good to see you. You haven't changed a bit!"

"Thanks, Mrs. Munroe. It's good to see you too. You have a beautiful home," Logan replied.

"Why, thank you, son," N'Dare said before turning to her daughter who had been quiet for the entire exchange, "You get what you needed?"

"More than I expected," Ororo replied cryptically with a tired sigh.

"What do you mean?" David asked his daughter.

"We'll talk about it later. Now, I don't know about anyone else, but its smells good in here and I'm ready to eat. Is dinner ready?" Ororo said, changing the subject.

Logan watched the exchange between father and daughter, the father giving his daughter a quizzically look and the daughter giving him a subtle shake of her head.

"Yes, it is. You guys go get washed up," N'Dare told them, drawing their attention, "Dinner will be waiting for you in the formal dining room."

Hours later, Logan found himself still at the Munroe house, enjoying the view as he sat in one of the patio chairs, facing the back area of the estate. After having his fill of grilled steak, loaded smashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, steam broccoli with cheese, and the best strawberry shortcake he had ever tasted, Logan joined Oliver and Sarge in Sarge's "man cave" as he called it, shooting the breeze and drinking brandy.

Sarge, concerned about his well being, invited him to spend the night and showed Logan to a guest room in the west wing of the house, near Ororo's and Oliver's rooms. He gave him a quick tour of the house and bid him good night as he retired to his own bedroom on the other side of the house.

Logan took one of the cigars from the case Sarge had given him and headed outside to smoke and reflect on the events of the day. He couldn't believe how the past few days had played out and how, after so many years, he had reconnected with Sarge and his family.

Logan subtly sniffed the air after hearing the soft sound of the patio door sliding open. A slight smile creased his face.

"Still a night owl, I see," Ororo said taking a seat in the chair on Logan's right.

"Old habits die hard," he replied, looking over at her. The moon seemed to love her, its rays gently covering her, making her white blouse shimmer slightly against her coffee colored skin. Clearing his throat and his thoughts, he turned his gaze back to the backyard. "If memory serves, you were a morning person. What you doing up so late?"

"I am. I still do my best work in the wee hours of the morning. But I've come to appreciate the beauty of the night. So whenever I'm here, I sit outside for a while. I find it very relaxing and therapeutic," she replied, coughing slightly when the wind changed directions and some of the cigar smoke floated her way.

"Sorry. Let me put this away," Logan said, extinguishing the fire in the ashtray.

"You didn't have to do that. It's just been a while since I being around cigar smoke," Ororo told him, pulling her legs under her in the chair, "I use to sit out here with my dad when he had his cigar time so much so that I actually started liking the smell. So one night, I snuck one out of his case and brought it outside with the intention of smoking it, but after the first puff, I started choking something awful. Luckily for me, my dad was looking for me and found me. He got me good for trying to smoke. I haven't tried smoking anything since." Ororo laughed.

"I can see why. Sarge can be scary when he's angry," Logan replied.

"He can but he also has a soft side too so it balances out."

"I hardly got to see the "soft" side of him. It wasn't until I was at your house that time while on Christmas leave that I saw that side of him," Logan said, smiling at the memory, "I can remember wondering who in the world would marry a man as mean as Sarge. The man seemed to hate everything and everyone."

Ororo laughed. "Imagine what it was like for me as his baby girl, trying to date someone. My dad scared the guys so bad at my school I didn't go on my first date until college. Even then, I didn't tell my dad for fear that he would come up to the school."

Logan chuckled. "I can definitely see Sarge doing that. He didn't start talking about you and your brother until after that visit during Christmas. He seemed to change right before your eyes when he talked about you guys, especially his little Ro Ro," Logan told her, smiling at the memory and the feelings the memory evoked.

"Ahh, please don't tell me. I'm sure he included some embarrassing stories," Ororo groaned, covering her eyes with her hand.

"No, no. He just talked about what was going on with you guys. He talked about you and your brother a lot. I could tell he was proud of you, even during those times he was upset with about something ya'll did. It's was good, hearing stories like that. The stories and your dad are what helped me to turn my life around. I had a rough life up to that point and, after Sarge took me under his wing, I started to see that my future didn't have to be like my past," Logan said, quoting Sarge.

"That sound familiar. Daddy said that?"

"Yeap. Your dad is a walking book full of wisdom."

"I'm full of something alright and it ain't all wisdom," David said, coming around the house, startling his daughter.

"Daddy, don't do that," she said and swatted his arm when he came and sat at the end of her lounge chair.

"What were you afraid of? You weren't in any danger with Jimmy sitting here," David told her.

"If you say so. If you ask me, he doesn't look all that tough," Ororo said teasingly, winking at her father before looking over at Logan.

Before her father had appeared, Logan had turned his chair at an angle so he could see behind her, already on the job. He glanced over at the father/daughter pair and chuckled at her statement. _If you only knew_, he thought, thinking of some of the spots he had found himself in before, during, and after his stint in the military.

"Maybe not," David said, getting to his feet and walking over to kiss his daughter's cheek, "But if I was in a tough spot, he would be one of a few people I trust to have my back. Night, ya'll." David headed back inside, leaving them alone again.

_Wow_, Logan thought, looking over at the door where David had disappeared in the house.

"Now that's high praise," Ororo said seriously, gazing at the house before looking back out at the yard, "He doesn't trust many people so when he says that, he really means it."

She looked down at her watch. "Well, Logan," Ororo said, getting to her feet, "Thanks for being such good company."

"No problem. Thanks for keeping me company," he replied, getting up behind her and grabbing the ashtray to take back inside.

He held the door open for her and waited until she locked it and set the alarm. Walking together through the darkened house, Logan couldn't help but wonder if their time together was the beginning of something. _Wishful thinking_, he thought as they arrived at her bedroom door.

"Well, this is me. Will you be ready to go at 7am?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Well, since you've had me up so late," she said with a sly smile, "Make it 9am. Mama wants to make us breakfast and knowing her, she will be sending us away with a bunch of food."

"9am it is."

"Good. And Logan, one more thing," she said, opening her door, "Don't call me ma'am."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Logan glanced back in the rear view mirror at Ororo. She had been quiet since they started the four hour trek up to the Munroe mountain home. The weather, which was forecasted to be sunny, turned out to be gloomy and at times, rainy.

Logan had driven an hour before he decided to break the silence. "Are you comfortable?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you," Ororo said sadly, never taking her eyes off the passing scenery.

"Need to stop for anything?"

"No."

"Want to listen to some music?" he said, determined to get more than an one word answer from her.

"No, I'm fine."

_Patience_, he told himself as he guided the SUV carefully through the slick streets, _She will open up when she's ready_.

Three hours later, they pulled up in front of the Munroe mountain house. The term house didn't really capture the opulence of the place. Logan, impressed by Sarge's city home, was awed by the grandeur of his mountain home. Expecting a large log cabin, Logan wasn't expecting what stood before him. A mini mansion, the house was framed on either side by woods, providing a natural privacy screen from neighbors.

_Can't wait to see what it looks like on the inside_, he thought as he got out the truck and opened the door for Ororo. He held out his hand for her and she thanked him as she stepped down. He watched as she took a few bags from the truck and headed up the walkway to the front door. Unlocking it and setting the bags down, Ororo returned and helped Logan unload the truck of their luggage and the many bags of grocery Ororo's mother had sent with them.

"There's enough food here to feed an army," Logan said, as they sat the bags on the counters in the state of the art kitchen. _Wow_, Logan thought subtly looking around, trying not to gawk at all of the kitchen gadgets. A closet foodie, he readily recognized some of the top of the line appliances that he wanted to have in the kitchen of his dreams.

"She likes to cook and tends to cook more than needed so she can share with neighbors and others. This is how she shops when we come up to the mountains. She's hoping that since I have time, I would do some cooking while here," Ororo told him with a sad smile on her face as they worked together to put up the items in the fridge and pantry.

Once they were done, Ororo gave him a tour of the house. The house featured a spacious living room, a formal dining room, five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a full basement which served as the entertainment room, with a large projection screen and theater seating. Ororo took him outside where she led him down the gently sloping carpet of green grass to the lake cove and gazebo. They stood there for a few minutes, enjoying the gentle breeze and view.

"Ready?" she asked him and he nodded, knowing he would return to the spot often while they were there.

She led him back up the slope and up the stairs to reach the upper level. Entering through the back door, they entered the kitchen which also included a breakfast nook. Logan was sure that mornings was the best time in this part of the house especially with the wall of glass that made one feel like they were sitting outside.

"Now that you've have the grand tour, feel free to make yourself at home. You can sleep in one of the guest rooms, there's one next to my room and the other one is next to my parent's room on the other side of the house. I'm not feeling well, so I'm going to lie down for a bit," she told him, giving him another sad smile, "Thanks again for coming to keep me company."

"No problem," Logan said to the closed door.

Several hours later, Logan knocked on Ororo's door to see if she wanted something to eat. Getting a faint "no", Logan figured he would try again tomorrow. Settling down for the night, Logan decided that it would be best to take the room next to Ororo, so that he could be nearby in case she needed anything.

Just when Logan had started to drift off to sleep, he heard the soft swish of a door opening and a click as it closed. When he didn't hear footsteps, Logan got up out of his bed and headed to the back of the house. He opened the back door in time to see Ororo flying up into the clouds. Logan's mouth dropped opened in disbelief. _She's a mutant_, he thought, shaking his head and heading down the stairs to the backyard.

_Where in the hell did she_, Logan thought just as a deafening clap of thunder sounded. Covering his ears, Logan headed down to the gazebo to take cover from the sudden thunderstorm. From the safety of the gazebo, Logan looked up and saw that the lightning was concentrated in the sky, moving from cloud to cloud. After another deafening clap of thunder, Logan looked up to see Ororo falling from the sky.

Yelling her name, Logan raced to the edge of the lake and waded out a bit before diving in. He swam as fast as he could to reach the place where she would land in the water. Not prepared for the icy water, Logan began to fatigue, his momentum slowing. _Swimming in cold water with an adamantium skeleton wasn't a good idea_, he thought as he tried to tread water. He struggled to keep his head above water and called out Ororo's name before he slipped beneath the water. He heard a muffled splash right before he blacked out.

Logan felt warm. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw a vaulted ceiling. He attempted to sit up but Ororo was there to stop him.

"No, just relax," she told him, tucking the covers closer to his body, "You need to stay put so that we can get your body temperature up."

"What…hap…pened?" Logan asked, his teeth chattering.

Ororo looked at him with tears in her eyes. "You were trying to save me from the water but the water was too cold. You called my name and went under. I pulled you out," she told him, sitting next to him with a steaming bowl of soup.

"You…pu..ll…ed..me…ou...out?" he said, wondering how a small woman like her could pull him from the water.

"Yes, Logan. I pulled you out," she told him, pulling the table closer to her, "I'm stronger than I look."

"Yeah, sure," Logan said, his healing factor kicking in now that the blood was flowing better, "You're a mutant too?"

"Yes. I'm surprised that my father didn't tell you," she replied, "Open up."

"What is it?" he said, taking a deep whiff of the aroma wafting from the bowl, "You're dad wouldn't tell anyone if you were a mutant. He always said that was your own story to tell."

"Speaking from experience?" Ororo asked, gently blowing on the steaming spoon and offering it to him, "Its peanut soup."

"Yeah, he's was one of the first and few people I told," he said, leaning in and sipping the soup from the spoon, "This is really good. You cooked this?"

"One of my many talents," she said, offering him another spoonful, "So tell me, Jimmy/Logan the mutant, what is your gift?"

Logan took the spoon from Ororo. He felt weird having her feed him. "Thanks for the soup," he said, taking another spoonful, "I have a healing factor that keeps me going, some claws that help clear things out of my path, and what I call my super senses."

"Not use to a woman feeding you, huh?" she asked, standing and going in the kitchen to get herself a bowl. She returned to her seat and continued the conversation. "So, my dad knows you are a mutant. Did he tell you anything else?"

Logan knew what she was getting at and figured since she saved him from a long recovery period, that he would be open with her.

"Yeah, he told me he was gifted. Since we were the only two gifted guys in the company that we knew of, we kept a low profile and used the excuse of me being a difficult cadet as a cover to spend time with him off the field," he replied, setting his empty bowl on the table, feeling the effects of the soup as it warmed him from the inside, "He didn't tell you about me?"

"Like you said, Daddy believed that if a person was gifted, they would share that information when they felt comfortable doing it," she told him, "Would you like some more?"

"No, thanks. That hit the spot. Now all I need is some sleep and I will be good to go," he said, preparing to get up.

"No sir. Sorry," Ororo told him, touching his arm to stop his movement.

"Why?"

"You were out for some time and I want to make sure that you are okay. So if you don't mind, I would like for you to sleep here tonight so I can keep an eye on you."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Ororo awoke to the smell of coffee and bacon.

Opening her eyes, she looked over and saw that the sofa back to normal. Stretching her arms high above her head, she lowered her feet to the floor. She had made herself comfortable in the oversize chair that matched the sofa bed after she watched Logan drift off to sleep. Stretching again, she stood and headed to her bathroom.

A few minutes later, she entered the kitchen. Though the smell lingered, the counter was bare.

"Morning," she greeted him, heading over to the coffee pot. Logan stood at the sink, washing dishes.

"Morning," he replied, setting the last dish in the dish drainer, "Hope you're hungry."

"Why?" she asked, adding cream and sugar to her cup.

Silently, he opened the oven.

Ororo peeked in and saw several platters piled high with pancakes, waffles, fluffy eggs, and bacon. Her stomach growled loudly at the sight of the food.

"I guess I can't say I'm not hungry," she replied, making him smile, "I can't believe you cooked all of this. You cooked enough for an army."

"Don't worry. I have a high metabolism and am very hungry," Logan said.

Refusing her help, Ororo took a seat and watched as Logan fixed her plate and then his own.

After saying grace, they sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying their breakfast. Sitting back in her chair, Ororo looked over at Logan and smiled as he continued to seemingly inhale the stack of pancakes in front of him.

"You weren't kidding about that high metabolism were you?" she asked.

"Nope. It takes a lot of work to keep up this figure," he joked, striking a muscle building pose.

Ororo laughed out loud. _That felt good_, she thought as she continued watching him eat.

Rubbing her belly, she knew she would have to do some serious working out to work off all the carbs from her meal. An idea came to her and figured she would share it with Logan to see what he said.

"What do you think about driving down to Helen for the day? Its a quaint little town about 45 minutes down the road. We could walk some of this fabulous food off while seeing the sites," she told him, watching as he wiped his mouth and pushed away from the table, his last stack of pancakes now a memory.

"Sure. I've heard it was famous for beer and fudge," he said getting up and grabbing their plates, heading to the sink, "I'll be ready as soon as I put the food away and wash the dishes."

"Okay but I will take care of the dishes. It's the least I can do since you cooked," she told him, picking up two of the platters.

"I'll dry," he replied, grabbing the other platters.

An hour later, Logan held the car door open for Ororo who smiled her thanks at him as she hopped in. Logan joined her and plugged in the address into the GPS.

During the drive down, they talked about everything and nothing. They learned what the other had been up to since they last saw each other. Ororo learned among other things that Logan himself is still trying to get over a bad breakup. She was appalled at the actions of his ex who dumped him for someone with more money.

"You did a great job handling Damion at your condo the other day," Logan told her, "Better than what I would have done if I was in the same situation."

"Yeah, that was a mess," Ororo said, looking out the window, a feeling of sadness coming over her. Determined to fight it, Ororo looked back at Logan with a smile and said, "So Logan, if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?"

Ororo changed the subject, hoping to get the conversation back on more neutral topic. She still wasn't able to discuss the Damion situation without getting emotional. She renewed her goal for the day to not think about the situation for the rest of the day.

The day out with Logan turned out better than she had anticipated. They had gone into nearly every shop on the main strip in Helen. Logan was a complete gentleman. As the day wore on, Ororo's comfort level increased and she found herself taking his elbow a lot. After a leisurely lunch, Logan stood next to her chair to help her stand, holding out his hand for her to take. When she stood, he didn't release it, nor did she, so they spent the rest of the afternoon, holding hands as they walked through the village.

As they walked hand in hand, Ororo couldn't help but to compare her time with Logan with time spent with Damion. They were so different. Where Logan was more of a go with the flow type of guy, Damion had to have a plan for everything. Where Logan would leave her to own devices in the store, Damion would hover near, to make sure that they keep to the schedule, even to the point approaching her and telling her it was time to go.

As the day wore on, Ororo came to the realization that she had allowed Damion to do what she had always said she wouldn't, he had changed her and molded her into the woman he wanted, not accepting her for who she was. And she had allowed it and had not fought back.

By the time she and Logan pulled up to the Mountain House, she was an emotional wreck on the inside. Somehow, she was able to keep it together during dinner that night. After they cleaned the kitchen, she told him she needed some time alone. She noticed a flash of disappointment across his face but he nodded, saying he needed to check in with his partner.

Ororo, knowing that Logan would know soon enough that something was wrong, headed to the gazebo and before she made it, the sky transformed, responding to her unconscious control. Dark clouds filled the sky and lightning flashed, illuminating the dark night. A large clap of thunder sounded as she walked past the gazebo. Soon, a torrent of rain fell, covering the sounds of her sobs as she released the sadness from her heart, mind and soul. She cried about the time wasted on building a life with her ex. Her heart broke at all of the times that she went along with the program just to keep the peace. Her spirit cried out to be cleanse, hoping that the water that cascaded over her would do the trick.

Soon she was exhausted, having expelled all of her built up emotions. She leaned heavily against the stair rail.

Hearing her name, Ororo looked behind her as Logan approached carrying an umbrella, a worried look on his face.

"I think this is the last time," she told him, as the rain slowly subsided.

"It's okay if it's not," he replied, wiping away some of the water off her face, "Come on. Let's go inside."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Logan put tea bags in the teacups on the tray, along with some fruit, cheese, and mini croissants. He poured the hot water in the tea kettle and placed it on the tray alongside the honey, sugar, and milk. He timed everything correctly, walking into the living room just as the door to Ororo's room opened. He looked up and saw that she had put on her pajamas and had her hair wrapped in a towel.

"You are just full of surprises," she said, taking a seat on the couch next to him.

"What can I say, I'm a sucker for damsels in distress," he replied, jokingly.

"Is that what I am?" she asked feigning anger. Her mock display of anger melted into a satisfied sigh after she took a sip of her tea.

"Like it?" he asked.

"Very much. Thank you."

"Now, back to your question. Normally, no. Right now, yeap, you're a d.i.d."

"But that's okay," he added quickly, in response to her raised eyebrow, "That's why I'm here… to "rescue" you." Logan used the bunny rabbit hand gesture to emphasize his point.

"I see," Ororo said playing along. She tucked a slender leg under her, getting comfortable. "So since I'm the d.i.d., as you say and then that makes you my knight in shining armor, right?"

"Yeah but I'm more like a knight in shining leather," he replied, making Ororo laugh out loud, "And just so you know, my mighty steed is a Harley. Be right back." Logan headed to his room with Ororo's laughter ringing in his ears. _At least we're off to a good start_, he thought, making his way back to the living with his items in tow.

"So, as your knight in shining leather," he said, turning so she could see the leather jacket he threw on, "the first thing on my to-do list is to make you laugh. I think we can check that one right?"

Smiling, Ororo nodded her head. "Definitely."

"Okay…next item on the STDID list is to dance to damsel's favorite music."

"Wait, wait wait…before I can even deal with the dance part, what's does STDID stand for?" she asked.

"Save The Damsel in Distress," he replied, trying to look innocent, making her laugh again.

"Okay," she said, wiping her eyes, "Dance?! I'm sorry Logan, but you don't look like the dancing type."

"You're right, darlin', I'm not, but desperate times calls for desperate measures," he replied, struggling to keep a straight face, as he pulled out the boombox and the CDs he got from his room, "So damsel, I remembered from a previous conversation that Ne-Yo is your favorite so I picked up a few of his CDs."

Logan handed them to Ororo. "Now," he said, taking off his jacket and tossing it on the couch, "Since I'm not the Ne-Yo expert, I will leave the song selection to you."

Ororo couldn't remember the last time she laughed so hard or so much. She convinced Logan to use her iPod instead of the boombox so that she could play her playlist of Ne-Yo's upbeat tempo-ed songs. After the third song, Logan was able to keep up with Ororo's moves. Thirty minutes later, they fell on the sofa, trying to catch their breath.

"Now," Logan said, breathing hard, "I definitely say we can check dancing off the list."

"I agree," she replied, taking a sip from her tepid tea, "So is there anything else on the STDID list?"

She made him smile as he stood. "Maybe one more thing tonight. You want something else to drink?"

"Sure, something cold. But I can get it," she said, starting to get up.

"Nope. You sit and relax. I'll get the snacks."

_Snacks_, she thought, wondering what he had up his sleeve now.

Realizing she had not checked her phones all day, Ororo headed to her room to retrieve them. Keying in her password on her personal phone, she found that she had 30 missed calls. All but two were from Damion. She decided that she would return her calls from her mother and brother and leave the discussion with Damion for tomorrow. She didn't want to mess up her evening by talking to him.

She hit speed dial, calling her parents' house.

"Hey Daddy," she greeted him, noticing the clock on the wall read 11:15pm. Her father was an early riser and got into bed no later than 10pm, "Sorry for waking you."

"It's okay, baby. How is everything?"

"Everything is fine. Logan is good company," she replied, knowing that he could hear her conversation, "How are things there? Mom and O?"

"Everyone's doing well. Oliver and your mother have been working on the details of his upcoming move. Shelia been resting a lot. Her doctor called and told her she is having twins!," her father said excitedly.

"Oh my goodness! That's great news. The more the merrier," she replied, happy for her brother and sister-in-law, "Well, I'm not going to hold you. I just wanted to call you guys back and let you know we're doing okay up here. Talk to you tomorrow. Love you Daddy."

"Love you too. Nite."

Ororo looked up and noticed Logan sitting on the couch, looking at her expectantly.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes, that was Daddy," she replied, joining him on the couch, "Shelia may be having twins."

"That's great. More the merrier, right?" he said, smiling.

"My thoughts exactly," she replied, realizing that he wasn't kidding about the super senses. Turning her attention to the coffee table, she asked, "What's all this?" The table was covered with bowls of popcorn, chips, candy, and two large tumblers.

"Well, I figured since we could have a movie marathon," he replied, picking up the remote and turning on the TV and hitting the control to dim the lights.

Ororo laughed softly, thinking that this man was full of surprises. She greatly appreciated all of his efforts to pull her out of her funk. "Okay. I haven't done one of these since the last time we hung out," she replied, remembering the night they spent cuddled together watching movies. She didn't know when they had moved to the holding hands, cuddling phase during that two week period but they did and somehow it felt right.

Even now, with all of the drama she was going through, being there with Logan just felt right. Like they were picking up where they left off. Deciding not to think about it too much and let things fall as they did, Ororo shrugged her shoulders and slid closer to Logan, enjoying the immediate warmth she felt radiating from his body.

Pulling down the crocheted afghan from the back of the sofa and throwing it across them, Ororo said, "Okay, I'm game. I can hang as long as you can."

"Whatever, Ro. Last time, you were out like a light thirty minutes into the first movie," he told her, leaning forward to get the popcorn and offering her some.

"That was then, this is now," she responded, the challenge in her voice loud and clear.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The next morning found the pair sitting together at the dining table in the kitchen, gazing out the window as they finished their meal of fish and grits, courtesy of Ororo's paternal grandmother's southern upbringing.

"Now that was good eating," Logan said pushing his plate away and leaning back in his chair, rubbing his stomach.

"Thanks," Ororo replied, standing and grabbing his plate along with her own.

"So what do you want to do today?" he asked, hearing a car door closing.

"Something I really don't want to do," she replied, turning to face him, drying her hands on a kitchen towel, "I need to clear out my voicemail. Damion called fifty million times yesterday and left just as many messages. Then I will probably call him back and be in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I don't think you need to make that call," Logan said, taking a subtle sniff to confirm what he thought.

"Why you say that?"

"Because he's outside," Logan said, getting to his feet and heading to the foyer.

"Whose outside?" Ororo asked, tossing the towel on the island and following Logan out the door.

"You are kidding me right?" she said, just as he opened the door. Damion stood on the other side, holding a large vase of flowers and a small smile.

_He wasn't kidding_, Ororo thought, looking at Damion in disbelief.

"I'll go and finish cleaning the kitchen. Call if you need me," Logan said, his tone expressing his dislike of the uninvited guest.

"Yeah, you do that," Damion said, nastily, stepping into the house.

Logan stopped and turned to face Damion. "Just so we're clear bub, you lay a hand on her, she'll be the last person you'll ever touch," Logan told him.

"You know, I'm getting very tired of these damn threats. I make one mistake and everyone has something to say about it," Damion said, shutting the door, "And if I do, what is it to you? You her bodyguard or something?"

"Yeah and I don't make idle threats," Logan said, a slight growl in his throat.

"Logan. Please," she said, touching his arm gently.

"Today's your lucky day, Damion," Logan told him before looking at Ororo.

"This won't take long," she told him, giving him a small smile.

"I won't be far," Logan replied, glancing back at Damion before heading into the kitchen.

"So, this is where you've been hiding," Damion began as he got closer, "Here, I brought you these."

"Why are you here?"

"You never answered your phone and you didn't return my calls," he replied, walking past her to place the flowers on the coffee table. Taking a seat, he looked up at her expectantly.

She stood watching him, her arms crossed in front of her. "That doesn't explain why you're here."

"Ororo, you of all people should know that when I want something I get it," he replied cryptically. He didn't realize his mistake until Ororo gave him a small smile.

"So that's why you did it," she replied, taking a seat across from him, in lawyer mode, "You made the decision at some point that regardless of our relationship, you saw someone you wanted and had to have her. Correct?"

"It wasn't that simple," he replied, "It was a mistake. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"No, you were thinking clearly. You knew exactly what you were doing and you thought that you wouldn't get caught. You had what you want, your cake but you had to have your ice cream too. Now you're upset that you can't get what you want from me. So upset, that you will show up unannounced wherever I am, with little regard to the feelings of the people at the location at that time."

"You are extremely lucky that you didn't get hurt or worse showing up here today," she told him.

Getting to her feet, she looked down at him. "But you did me a favor," she told him going over to him and taking his hand, encouraging him to stand, "Because now I don't have to return your call."

"And," she continued, ushering him to the front door, "We are done. Take your ring back and as soon as I return home, I will pack all of your things and mail them to you. I have no need to see you or talk to you ever again. So, with that said, do not come to my home or my parents' home uninvited again. If you do, the police will be called and you will be charged with trespassing."

"Ro, don't do this," Damion pleaded, as they stood in the foyer.

"And why not? You showed you didn't care about the relationship when you stepped out of it and did what you. Why shouldn't I do this? You started this, Damion, and now I'm finishing it."

"It's not over until I say it's over," Damion said, angrily, "You haven't seen the last of me."

"It's time for you to go, before you say or do something you'll regret," Ororo said opening the door for him.

"No, you're going to regret your decision, I promise you that," he said, closing the distance between them.

"That's it, bub. Time to go," Logan said, startling Ororo who didn't realize he was so close.

"Get your fucking hands off me," Damion told Logan as he grabbed him and pushed him outside.

"My pleasure," Logan said, pushing Damion toward his car, "Now, get the fuck out of here."

"I'll be seeing you soon, motherfucker," Damion said, menacingly, walking around to the driver side of the car, "This isn't over by a long shot?"

"You okay?" Logan asked her when he joined her at the gazebo fifteen minutes later.

"Yes," she said, her trembling voice betraying her. _At least I'm controlling my gift better_, she thought as she wiped a tear from her eye and looked out at the sun reflecting on the surface of the lake, "Thanks for your help up there."

"Don't mention it. I'm sorry I didn't end the conversation earlier," he told her.

"No, it was time for it to happen. But the craziest thing about this whole thing is that I'm eerily content. I'm actually relieved to be out of the relationship," she said, turning to look at him with teary eyes, "It doesn't make any sense. I love Damion and was in love with him but I didn't like the person I was while I was with him. I allowed him to mold me to fit him and not accept me for me."

She roughly wiped her eyes, and continued, "But like my mother told me whenever I was having a hard time with something – there's a silver lining to every cloud." She turned to face him and put her hand on his cheek, "And you're my silver lining. Thank you for helping me to begin the process of finding myself again."

She leaned down and kissed him gently on the lips. He responded and wanted to deepen the kiss but she pulled back, breaking the kiss. She looked him in his eyes and kissed him again before pulling away and starting back to the house.

"I'm going to my room for a while. Dinner's on me tonight, okay?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Looking forward to it," Logan replied, nodding his head.

"So am I. Dress to impress?"

"Your wish is my command," he replied, bowing, making her smile.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Three hours later, Ororo knocked on Logan's door.

"Just a second," he called out.

He opened the door and Ororo stared. Logan stood in the door way with a towel wrapped around his neck and one around his waist. Ororo immediately thought _hunk_ as she took in his muscular torso, rippling six pack and massive arms.

"Um," she started but cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry. I just got out the shower," he told her.

"No, I'm sorry. It just threw me for a second. Anyway," she said, changing the topic, "How do you like your steak?"

"Medium Rare."

"Okay, thanks. Dinner in 90 minutes," she told him, turning away, "And Logan?" She looked back at him over her shoulder

"Yeah?"

"Nice pecs," she said, smiling before walking away.

She heard him chuckle and say thanks.

She headed into the kitchen to begin preparing the steaks that she had marinating. She placed them on the open face indoor grill on a low setting. She prepared the potatoes for baking and snipped the ends of the fresh green beans. She threw the potatoes in the oven and then headed to her room to get ready.

She emerged an hour later, dressed in a simple, torso hugging, sleeveless white sheath dress that ended above her knee under her housecoat. She wanted to have at least one thing to surprise Logan with and figured that her outfit would do the trick.

Since she knew she would ask him to take her home tomorrow, she wanted their last night together to be special. She wanted to do something to thank him for being there to help her through those trying days. Though she knew more bad days would be coming, she knew she could handle it. She had regained her ability to control her gift, even when she was emotional.

She experienced the joy of comfortable companionship that she had been missing with Damion. She would miss him, she couldn't deny that but she wouldn't miss being with him. What she wanted was something Damion could not provide. A companionship that was comforting, nurturing, unconditionally, and dare she say it loving like what she and Logan shared over the past few days. Ororo knew that her feelings for Logan were strengthening, much to her dismay. Part of the reason she wanted to leave early was so she could she if her feelings for Logan were because of their close proximity and her fragile state or if they were true. The only way she would be able to determine that was rejoin the real world.

_It would be nice if it was Logan_, she thought, adding the green beans to a second grill, _He was a turning out to be a great friend and has the makings of being a great…_

She looked up as Logan entered the room, interrupting her thoughts.

"Something sure smells good," he said, looking handsome in his white shirt and black pants, "Need some help?"

Ororo took in his appearance. He had left the top buttons undone, allowing bits of his chest hair to peek out. "Not right now but you can pour us some wine in about 15 minutes," she told him, turning back to the grilling green beans.

"Okay," he told, "Mine if I watch?"

"Not at all," she told him, turning down the music so they could talk, "Not many people would ask if it would be okay to stay."

"I know that the last few minutes are sometimes the most critical time when you're bringing a meal together," he replied, admiring her as she worked, "I figured I would make sure it was okay with the chef instead of just plopping down."

"That's so true. I've had to tell people when I'm entertaining to not enter the kitchen until I'm done but some people dismiss it as superstition," she replied, referring to Damion as she checked the doneness of the steaks on the other indoor grill, "But that's okay. Those people are no longer around."

"Their loss," Logan said, his gaze unwavering as she met his, wondering if his statement had a duel meaning.

"True but their loss will be someone else's gain," she replied smiling at him before grabbing a plate.

"I just hope that person will be ready," he replied as she placed his plate before him.

"Why you say that?" she asked, placing her in the place next to Logan, removing the housecoat and draping it on the back of her chair.

She looked up at Logan to see why he hadn't responded to her question. She saw him staring. When she cleared her throat, his eyes met hers and his mouth slide into a small smile, knowing he was caught.

"You were saying?" she asked, smiling knowingly, not commenting on his reaction to her dress.

"Saying?"

"You said that you hoped the person will be ready?"

Logan thought a minute. "Oh. Right. They need to be ready because you're a reckoned with in more ways than one," he replied, taking the chilled bottle from its ice cradle and pouring them each a glass and regaining his composure.

"Is that a warning or compliment?" she asked.

"Both," he replied, making her laugh, "Mind if I make a toast?"

"By all means," she replied, holding up her glass.

"To new beginnings, new friendships, and new love," he replied, touching her glass and gazing at her over his glass as he took a sip.

"Here, here."

Like previous meals, the conversation was light and flowing. She learned a lot about Logan and couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if they had not parted the way they did 10 years ago. _Oh well_, she thought, taking another sip of wine, _that was then and this is now. Who knows what will happen_.

Logan thoroughly enjoyed his steak. He complimented her so much that she had to stop him with a threat of bodily harm if he mentioned it again.

"I'm stuffed," he said, leaning back in his seat, rubbing his stomach, "The food was great. I have to ask, what did I do to deserve that?"

"Well," Ororo begin, placing her wine glass back on the table, "I just wanted to do something nice for you since you've really been great company this week. I've had more fun these past few days than I have had in a very long time so I thank you."

"I feel the same way. You're great company," he told her, "Hopefully we can do something else tomorrow. Maybe ride up to South Carolina?"

"As good as that sounds, I need to get back," she replied, grabbing her plate and glass and taking it the sink.

"Really?" he asked, following suit, "Why?"

"I did what I came up here to do," she said, rinsing their dishes and placing them in the dishwasher.

"And that was?" Logan asked, wiping down the table with the dishcloth.

"Well," she began, closing the dishwasher's door and turning to face him, "I…"

Suddenly a loud noise sounded, causing them both to cover their ears and look toward the back yard. Logan rushed to her side and pulled her down just before the back windows shattered, sending glass everywhere. Logan tried to speak to her but she shook her head, letting him know she couldn't hear him. He mouthed, "Are you okay?"

She nodded. Logan nodded and mouthed, "Stay down." When she nodded again, he sniffed the air and she could feel his arm around her tense and felt the rumble in his throat as he growled. Ororo looked up and saw a shadowy figure on the deck. Logan turned and saw the same thing. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the short side of the island, where they had some cover.

"Alright runt. I know you and the bitch are in there. Give her up and I'll let you live," a voice said.

"Creed," Logan growled, "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"A friend of a friend asked me to pick up the bitch, so hand her over," Creed replied.

"Not going to happen," Logan said, pulling up his pants leg, exposing the gun holster, "Who's the friend?"

"You know I can't say but let's just it's an old friend of the bitch," Creed replied.

Ororo could hear the crunch of glass as Creed stepped into the room.

"You got one more time to call her a bitch, Creed," Logan said angrily, clicking off the safety.

"Bitch, bitch, bitch," Creed replied, "Now what ya gonna do, runt?"

Logan stood and gun fire erupted. Ororo covered her ears as a loud boom sounded. Looking up she saw Logan stagger before falling, a large hole in his chest.

"Logan," she screamed and reached him in seconds. She touched his face and he turned to her and whispered, "Run."

"No, I'm not leaving you," she told him as his eyes slid close. She touched his face again before standing.

"Aw, you're a pretty bitch. Come on, girly, time to go," Creed said.

"I'm not going anywhere," she told him, turning to face him, "But you are."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

After she got rid of Creed, Ororo returned to the kitchen and found that Logan's wound had begun healing. Saying a silent prayer, she took Logan into his room and cleaned him up as best she could. Making sure he was comfortable, she went to her room to grab her phone and called her father.

"Daddy," she began, but her father cut her off.

"I know, sweetheart. The cameras turn on automatically if any of the windows are broken," he said, as he got his things ready to head north, "How are you holding up? You made your old man proud with the way you took him down."

"I'm not but it's not about me, it's about Logan. Have you called the Professor?"

"Yes, Hank is in route. We'll be there soon. Love you, baby."

"Love you, too, Daddy." Ororo hung up the phone.

As soon as she did, Logan's phone started ringing. She read the display and remembered that his partner's name was Luke.

"Hello," she said.

"Um, I'm trying to reach Logan," Luke said, caught off guard by the feminine voice.

"This is Ororo. We met at the party this past Friday," she told him.

"Yes, Ms. Ro. It was good talking to you but is Logan around?" Luke asked.

"I'm sorry but you need to come as soon as you can. He's been seriously injured. I have a doctor in route but please, get here as soon as you can. I'm texting you the address from my phone so you will have the number in case you need to call back."

"Okay, how injured is seriously injured?" he asked.

"He was shot point blank in the chest with a shot gun," she replied.

"Is he still breathing?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, but…," Ororo paused, realizing that Luke didn't know about Logan's gift. She knew it was not her place to tell him but this was an emergency.

"Mr. Luke, may I ask you a question?"

"Ms. Ro, not to be funny, but we don't have time for 20 questions."

"No, we don't but to answer your question, I need you to first answer mine."

"Okay," he said, releasing a frustrated sigh.

"How do you feel about mutants?"

"Okay, lady. You are really working my nerve right now. What in the hell does you asking me how I feel about mutants relate to this situation?"

"Just like you don't have time to play, neither do I. A man just came into my house, trying to kidnap me and Logan took a bullet protecting me. Now, Luke, answer the damn question," she replied, getting angry.

"Truth be told, I don't have a problem with mutants because I am one," he replied, half expecting her to react negatively.

"Good because so is Logan. Now his healing factor has kicked in but I'm sure it would help to have his friends around. So how soon can you get here?"

"I'm walking out the door right now."

"Great and one more thing Luke," Ororo begin.

"Yeah?"

"I'm a mutant too."

"He opened his eyes," he heard Ororo say.

"Logan," she said, touching his face.

"Ro," he whispered, "You okay?"

"I'm better now," she said, her voice shaking a bit. She stood and kissed his forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was hit by a truck. May I have some water?"

"The man has been awake for a minute and is already bossing people around," Luke said from the other side of the room.

"Luke?"

"Yeah, Lo, Jess and I are here," Luke said, coming to take Ororo's place, "I see you can't go nowhere without getting into something."

Logan smiled faintly and tried to shift but wince when the pain in his chest stopped his movements.

"Take it easy there old man," Luke told him, touching his hand, "Most people don't get up from a shotgun blast to the chest."

_Damn_, Logan thought, knowing his secret was out.

"So you know?" Logan whispered.

"We had our suspicions but a little bird confirmed it when she let us know what was going on. So don't be mad at her. She was just looking out for you," Jessica said, leaning down to kiss him on the cheek.

"Yeah but don't sweat it bro. We mutants have to stick together," Luke replied.

"I guess we have a lot to talk about then," Logan whispered before coughing violently.

"That may be true, my friend, but that talk will have to wait until you're better," someone called out.

"McCoy?"

"That's Dr. McCoy to you, grunt," Hank McCoy respected physician and teacher from Xavier's School of the Gifted. Ororo hadn't made the connection until that very moment. Dr. McCoy served in the unit with Logan and her father before he left to join Professor X at the school full time.

"I figured you would get a kick out of that, Jimmy," David said entering the room.

"Sarge?"

"I see trouble still follows you," David said, softly tapping his shoulder, "But seriously, I'm glad you're okay. Now you need to rest. McCoy can only do so much. You have to do the rest."

Logan, suddenly tired, nodded weakly.

"Ro?"

"I'm here," she replied, taking a seat in the chair at his side again. She offered him the straw so he could take a sip. She could tell he was fighting sleep.

"Don't worry. I'll be right here when you wake up," she assured him. He smiled faintly before drifting off to sleep.

Ororo, Luke, David and Hank gathered in the living room to talk. Jessica, after seeing the kitchen, volunteered to fix them something to eat.

"So the guy just showed up, blasted out the windows and started shooting?" Luke asked, sitting on the couch.

"Yes. He told us a friend sent him," Ororo told him. She sat in an oversize chair closest to Logan's room so she could listen out for him.

"And he never mentioned the friend's name?" Hank asked.

"No, he didn't."

"So what did he do after he shot Logan?" Luke asked.

"He got a rude awakening and a flight to the other side of the mountain," Ororo told him, the memory of the event making her angry. The group turned as a clap of thunder sounded. "I'm sorry. I'm still a bit emotional," she said, getting to her feet and pacing a bit.

"Wait, are you saying you just did that?" Luke asked, looking over at her with a smirk on his face.

Ororo heard the skepticism in his voice. "Yes. Is that hard to believe?"

"I mean, anything's possible," Luke replied, dismissively, "What else did you do after Logan go shot?"

"Let me see," she said, not liking his tone and giving back what he gave out, "I asked Creed to leave us alone while batting my eyes and gently touching his arm. He nodded and walked out of the door."

"Sarcasm doesn't look well on you, Ms. Ro," he responded, getting angry, "I just asked a damn question."

"Nor do I respond well to it, Mr. Cage. Once you get pass the idea that I'm making things up then we can have a real conversation. Until then, this is what you're going to get."

The tension had grown thicker in the room. Ororo stood facing Luke, her anger evident on her face. Knowing that if she didn't calm down, the rage she felt would soon overtake her.

She turned away from them, holding herself as she regained control. After taking a deep breath and counting to ten, she turned back to face them.

"To answer your question Luke, I checked on Logan and called you guys."

"So how did he get to the bed? Lo's short but he's a thick dude," Luke said still not convinced.

"I carried him," she replied, her anger returning as she watched him shake his head in disbelief.

"Yeah, I can't see that happening," he replied.

"Just because you don't see the wind, doesn't mean it isn't there, Mr. Cage," Ororo told him as she held out her hand and guide the wind to pick him up off the couch. The others watched as Luke struggled against the wind. When he pulled his gun, Ororo sent a wind to snatch it out his hand and into hers. "Now do you believe me?" she said, loudly to be heard over the wind.

"Yeah, yeah. Just put me down," he replied.

"As you wish," Ororo said, ceasing the wind and causing Luke to fall suddenly. She caught him right before he hit the ground, drawing a gasp from his wife who looked over just in time to see him falling. She dropped the glass bowl she was holding and went over to check on her husband.

"Next time, have a bit more faith in people," she told him as she walked over to him to return his gun before heading into Logan's room and shutting the door.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Ororo was happy that they left her alone for the most part after the incident in the living room. Hank stuck his head in to check on Logan and her father came in after.

She stood from her chair and stretched to her full height. Logan had been sleeping peacefully for the past three hours. Her stomach growled to let her know she needed to eat. Heeding her body's signal, she kissed Logan on the forehead and whispered in his ear that she would be back before heading out the door.

She entered to the kitchen and was surprised to see Luke sitting at the table, nursing a beer. He looked up at her and watched her silently as she opened the fridge door.

"Jessica made you a sandwich. It's wrapped in foil on the top shelf," he told her, taking a gulp from his bottle.

"Thanks," she replied, grabbing the plate and unwrapping the covering. Seeing what it was, she added a few condiments and rewrapped it. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and started toward Logan's room.

"I owe you an apology," Luke said, his words stopping her.

She turned back to face him and told him, "You do but it's okay. I understand where you were coming from," she replied.

"No, it's not okay. I didn't mean to take my frustrations out on you and for that I apologize. I know you want to get back to Logan but would you sit with me for a minute?" he said.

"Sure," she told him, taking the seat across from him. She looked at him expectantly.

"Logan means a lot to me. Besides Jessica and my daughter, Jasmine, he's all the family I have and I'm very protective of him," he said began apologetically, "So when it comes to him, Jess or Jas, I'm not myself."

"I understand. Family takes care of family and to us, Logan is family."

"Yeah, I could tell. Your father is very fond of him as are you. But I have to ask you, what are your plans for my boy?"

"My plans? I'm not sure I understand what you mean?"

"Well," he said, getting to his feet and heading to the fridge. Pulling out another beer, Luke took his seat again and popped the cap. "I can tell that Logan really likes you but I just wonder if the feelings are mutual."

Ororo chuckled to herself. So this is what the attitude is about. He's being protective of his friend.

"Worried that I'm going to hurt him?" Ororo asked pushed her plate away, no longer hungry.

"Not really because Logan's a big boy. I just don't want him to confuse the task at hand," Luke said, taking a sip from his bottle, "For me, Ms. Ro, this is a job as it is for Logan. I don't want my partner getting confused as to what the job is. Our job is to keep you safe, not babysit you."

"You don't like me very much do you?" Ororo asked, tired of the back and forth.

"It's not about liking you, it's about making sure my boy doesn't get killed because of some bullshit behind some woman looking to make him her rebound guy," Luke replied coolly, leaning back in his chair.

"Now, how would he become my rebound guy, if I'm not looking to fill the vacancy?"

"Your mouth is saying one thing but your actions say another."

"I don't have to explain myself or my actions to you," she told him angrily, standing abruptly, knocking over the chair, "So if your job is to keep me safe, then do your damn job and keep your nose out of my business."

"Unfortunately princess, in order to keep you safe, your business becomes my business so as I said…" Luke began, standing and looking into Ororo's eyes.

"Ahem," Jessica said. Ororo looked over at her.

"I was just leaving," Ororo told her, looking back angrily at Luke, before leaving the kitchen.

"What the hell was that?" Ororo heard Jessica ask her husband. She didn't wait to hear his reply as she made her way to Logan's room. Opening the door, she saw him sitting on the side of the bed.

"Logan," Ororo gasped.

"Hey," he said huskily.

"How long have you been up?"

"Long enough to hear your conversation with Luke," Logan said, looking up at her.

"Logan, I…"

"Ro, I need you to tell you something," he began, getting to his feet slowly, "I took this job not just because I owed Sarge or to babysit you. I took it because I love you. I have loved you since that night on your back porch." He walked toward her, holding onto the bed baseboard. "We left early that morning because I couldn't face you again knowing that I couldn't give you what you deserved, what you needed."

Ororo tried to speak. Logan held up his hand to stop her.

He cupped her face and wiped away her tears. "I tried to forget about my feelings for you but I couldn't so I buried them. When I saw you at the party, they resurfaced and I couldn't think of anything else since."

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked, finally able to find her voice.

"I could have lost you last night and I couldn't risk going another day without telling you how I feel," he told her, taking her hands in his.

"Logan, I…" she tried again but he silenced her with a gentle kiss.

"I'm not expecting you to tell me you love me nor do I expect to fill your vacancy," he told her, with a slight smile, "All I want is for you to be safe and for us to be friends."

Before she could speak, there was a knock at the door.

"We'll talk later," he said, kissing her again and heading to the door.

"Ms. Ro, I," Luke began, "Man, what you doing out of bed?"

"I was feeling better so I got up. How's it going?"

"Better now that you're back on your feet," Luke said, looking past Logan to Ororo, "But I didn't come to check on you. I came to apologize to Ro."

"Why? What happened?" Logan asked, pretending that he hadn't heard the conversation.

"Nothing an apology won't fix," she replied, holding out her hand to Luke, "Friends?"

"Friends," he replied, taking her hand in his and shaking it, "So Lo, you hungry? Jessica made something special for you."

"Yeah I'll be out in a sec," Logan told him.

Luke nodded and headed out the door, closing the door behind him.

"He's a bit hotheaded and rough around the edges but he's a good guy," Logan told her going back over to her, "So will you be joining us for a late dinner?"

"No, you go ahead. I need to get some sleep. Tell them I said goodnight," she told him. Leaning in, Ororo kissed Logan softly on the cheek and whispered goodnight before heading out the door.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

It has been three weeks since he last saw or talked to Ororo. The morning after his confession, everyone left the cabin together. Luke drove Logan's jeep, with Jessica following in their jeep with Logan riding shotgun. Ororo rode with her father and Hank.

Logan would have preferred to ride in the same car as Ro but it made more sense for him to ride with his people so that they could go straight to the office so he could pick up his H3 and head home.

Since leaving the cabin, Logan had tried to reach her at her parents' house, her condo, and on her business phone to no avail. Whenever he reached her parents', they were apologetic, telling him she needed some time and that she would call soon.

After the fifth time of hearing that, Logan stopped trying. He couldn't understand why she shut him out, especially after the week they shared at the cabin. It was this thought that kept him up at night, standing out on his back deck, smoking his cigars. After a week of sleepless nights, Logan decided to channel his restless energy into something more productive – work. He took on case after case, much to the displeasure of his partner who, expressing it more than once, was worried about him. So much so that Luke talked him out of taking on a job that required 36 hours of keeping an eye on a property that had been vandalized.

"Lo, you should go home, man," Luke told him, after entering Logan's office.

"Can't. Got work to do," Logan told him looking over a contract while picking up the phone to make a call.

"Dude, you have to slow down before you fall down," Luke said, grabbing the handset and putting it back on the cradle, "What's going on with you, Lo? Seriously, because I haven't seen you act this way since ole girl left." 'Ole girl' was Luke's nickname for Logan's ex-girlfriend.

Logan looked up at his partner, wishing he would just leave him alone. Instead of sharing his thoughts, Logan got to his feet and headed to his mini fridge.

"Cat got your tongue?" Luke said, turning to face his partner, "Would it have something to do with the fact that a certain white haired beauty has been incommunicado?"

Logan, drinking his beer, watched his partner silently.

"Alright, well since you won't admit it, then I'm going on a limb and say she played you man. She used you and then threw you aside."

"Ro's not like that," Logan said finally, a slight edge in his tone.

"How would you know what she's like? Just because you spend the week in a cabin with a woman doesn't mean you know her," Luke replied angrily, hating that his partner was going through this again, "I mean, really. What did you expect? That she would profess her undying love that she has held onto for the past 10 years with the hopes that you and her would be together again?"

"Stranger things have happened, wouldn't you say," Ororo said, closing the door behind her as she entered the room.

"Well, well, well, look what the wind blew in," Luke said sarcastically, "Don't you think you're about 2 weeks and 6 days late?"

"My mother has always taught me that there's a time and place for everything and that things happen in their own time," she replied, looking from Luke to Logan, who watched them silently.

"Yeah but in between the time for things to happen, a call would be nice, hell in some cases warranted," Luke replied angrily.

"I guess I deserved that," Ororo conceded, "So now that you got that off your chest, can we move on? I would like speak with Logan privately, if that's okay."

"Oh hell no. Logan ain't got shit to say to you, Miss Disappearing Act. The man took a bullet for you and this is how you repay him?" Luke said, pushing off the desk and walking toward the door, brushing past Ororo, slightly jostling her, "Here's the door, you can go back the way you came."

"Luke," Logan replied, looking over at his partner, "I got this. I'll talk to you later."

"You're kidding me right? Are you really going to fall for the okedoke?"

Logan didn't reply. He just nodded to the door. "Alright man," Luke replied, "I hope you're not setting yourself up to fail again."

They were quiet for a few seconds before Logan offered her a seat. "Care for a water or soda?" he asked.

"No, but thank you," she replied, sitting on the couch, "I brought you this." She handed him an envelope.

Logan opened it and pulled out three $100 hundred dollar bills.

"I realized I didn't give you the money for your shirt while we were at the cabin so I thought I would bring it by."

"Is that the only reason you came here today?" he asked, tucking the money back into the envelope.

"No, it's not but I thought it would be a way to break the ice, so to speak. I figured at this point, I would be the last person you would want to see or talk too."

Logan chuckled humorlessly. "Not the last person but right now, a very close second," he replied evenly, placing the envelope on the table in front of her, "And keep your money. I don't need it."

"I guess I deserved that too," she replied, getting to her feet and walking over to stand next to him at the windows, "I owe you an apology."

Logan scoffed and shook his head, still looking out the window. "You think?" he asked, finally looking over at her, before turning away and heading to the fridge to grab another beer.

"I needed some time alone to sort out the things that were going on," she began, watching him as he gazed back at her, taking a swig from his bottle, "Things were happening so fast that I didn't really have time to deal with them. I mean, between the breakup with Damion, the trip to the cabin, the reconnection and reestablishment of our friendship, the attempted kidnapping, you getting shot, and you telling me you love me? That's a lot of stuff to swallow and that's not even dealing with the feelings that came along with any of it."

Ororo turned back to the window and looked out, pausing so she could compose herself. After taking a breath, she turned to face him with tears in her eyes. "I never meant to hurt you or stay away from you this long. I just needed to make sure what I felt was real and not a result of the great time that I had with you." She turned to see him looking at her intently. She walked over to him and touched his face.

He stood there and gazed in her eyes for a minute before stepping away, putting distance between them. He leaned against his desk, looking back at her. Taking another deep breath, she turned to face him, tears coursing down her cheeks.

"I love you," she told him simply, "Like you, my life changed that night. The moment you kissed me on the back steps was the moment I realized I loved you. When you did it again at the cabin, it was like the ten year separation never happened, that we were picking up where we left off. But reality hit, when Damion came to the house. I needed time to reconcile the doubts that I had about us having a relationship. Was I jumping out of one relationship into another one too fast? What would people think when they saw us together when just last week, I was the fiancée of Damion Carter. What about our different skin tones? Those were the thoughts that kept me awake. That's what kept me from answering your calls and accepting your visits."

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Logan took a moment and took in her appearance again. Before him stood a woman who was unconsciously beautiful, even in her jeans, Nike t-shirt, and running shoes. Her white hair was pulled back into a ponytail, emphasizing her expressive blue eyes.

"So when I was at my lowest, I got a visit from a very special lady who basically set me straight in a matter of minutes," she told him, smiling at the memory of her discussion with her mother, "She told me that love was blind and the heart was not a respecter of color or person. It loved who it loved and you had to accept it. So that's what I did. Now, I'm at a place where I am able to give you what you deserve…a D.I.L.W.L."

Logan smiled reluctantly. "Okay, I'll bite. What is a D.I.L.W.L.?"

She returned his smile, ignoring the tears on her face. "A Damsel In Love With Logan."

He laughed out loud, enjoying the feeling of happiness that had washed over him. He knew they would have some obstacles to overcome if their love was to survive but right now, he was just happy having her there with him. "I love you too," he replied, closing the distance between them and kissing her deeply.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The ringing phone interrupted their reunion. "I need to get that," he told her, reluctantly pulling away from her and making his way to his desk.

"Thanks for the heads up," Logan told the person on the phone before hanging up.

"Luke's on his way up," Logan told Ororo just ask the door opened and Luke rushed in.

"It's all your damn fault," Luke said, lounging at Ororo who held him at bay with a strong wind.

"Luke, what the hell, man," Logan said, jumping over his desk and going over to his partner, "Calm down and tell us what's wrong."

"Fuck calming down," he said, still struggling against the wind, "He wants her so he can have her. Now make this easier on yourself and drop the wind so we can get the fuck out of here."

"Not until you tell us what's going on," Ororo told him.

"That muthafucker Creed has Jessica and Jasmine!" Luke said, lounging again.

"Okay, Luke. I know your upset but taking it out on Ro is not going to make the situation better."

"The hell it will, I can trade her for them and things will be right in my book," he replied, "Now drop the fucking wind and let's get the fuck out of here so I can get my wife and kid."

"I can't let you do that, Luke," Logan told him, "I love Jess and Jasmine too, but you just giving Creed what he wants doesn't guarantee their safe return. Think about it, man," Logan told his partner, "We have to think this out."

Luke abruptly stopped his struggling and fell to his knees, exhausted.

Logan knelt beside him and put an arm around him.

"I can't lose them, Lo. I won't be able to…" Luke said softly, unable to finish the thought.

"I know. We are going to do all we can to get them back," Logan told him, "Trust me partner, nothing else is more important that getting our family back." Logan looked up at Ororo who nodded her agreement. "Now, did you speak to Creed?" Logan asked, standing and helping Luke up.

"He said that he had Jess and Jasmine and I could hear them in the background," Luke said, slumping on the couch, "Oh God, Jasmine was crying and I heard Jess..." Luke broke down, his body racked with sobs. Logan took the seat on the other side of him and let him get it out.

Ororo approached the guys and pulled the coffee table out a bit and took a seat in front of Luke. She touched his knee.

"I know I'm not your favorite person right now but I just want you to know that no matter what it takes, we will get Jessica and Jasmine back in your arms," she told him, her eyes never leaving his.

Luke was quiet for a moment, looking into her eyes. Then he laid his hand over hers and nodded his head. She covered his hand with her other one. Logan, seeing that Luke was okay, got to his feet and headed to his desk. Just as he was about to pick up the phone, it ranged. He looked over at Luke who jumped up and was headed his way.

"Creed said he would call your office with instructions," Luke replied, picking up the handset from the cradle.

"Yeah, he's here," Luke said before hitting the speaker button and hanging up the phone, "You're on speaker."

"Good. I'm glad that you can follow directions. That's a good skill to have since I have your little ladies. Jess says hi by the way," Creed told them laughing.

"Why you no good, punk ass son of a bitch! Why don't you over here so we handle this shit like men," Luke exploded, leaning over the desk so his voice can be heard clearly.

"HEY!" Creed yelled into the phone, "You need to take that bass out your voice. I still have your bitches and I don't give a flying fuck about them. One more outburst like that and I will flip a coin to see who dies. Now shut the fuck up and sit your ass down somewhere. Grown folks are talking."

Luke punched the desk, leaving a gaping hole before going over to the coffee table and flipping it up.

"Creed, what do you want?" Logan asked, looking over at Luke who paced the floor like a cage animal, punching his hand.

"You know what the fuck I want. I want you and you alone to bring the bitch the DeKalb-Peachtree Airport by 4pm. I will be waiting in a white plane with a raven above the rear wing. We will do the exchange there. If I see a blue light anywhere near that drop point, the plane will take off and I will personally throw the bitches out of it at 30,000 feet. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," Logan replied, holding up a hand to discourage Luke's outburst.

"Don't be late Jimmy," Creed said before hanging up.

Logan pressed the button to disconnect the call. He then made another call and spoke in a hushed, coded language and hung up abruptly.

"Logan, how does he know your nickname?" Ororo asked, looking at him, a confused look on her face.

"I'll explain on the way," he said looking at his watch which read 2:55pm, "We don't have much time."

"What am I suppose to do? Sit here and wait?"

"No, you're coming with us," Logan replied leading the way out the door.

Midday traffic anywhere in Metro Atlanta would test the patience of Mother Teresa. With the help of the SUV's flashing lights, Logan was able to guide the car through the streets quickly, heading to the interstate. As he merged on the entrance ramp to I-75/85, he filled them in on a bit of his past.

"Back in the day, I was a member of a black ops team that carried out various missions across the globe. This unit was unique in the sense that all of its members were mutants, specially trained in various forms of combat. Creed and I were friends at one time until he and a few others went rogue and turned on the remaining members of the team," Logan told them, exiting the expressway, "It was during that battle that he killed the woman I loved and nearly killed me. Sarge had become acquainted with a place where people like us could go and I needed a place away from it all to get my head together so he sent me to this school for the gifted."

"I know it well," Ororo replied, "So how long did you stay? I was a student there and after I graduated, I would visit, but I never saw you."

"I didn't stay long. Just needed a place to crash for about a month but I learned a lot while I was there, even helped out on some missions."

"Okay, I appreciate the walk down memory lane but what does any of this have to do with getting Jess and Jasmine back?" Luke asked from the passenger seat.

"You'll see in a few minutes," Logan replied, exiting the interstate and guiding the car through the streets and stopping at a large, nondescript warehouse. After a second, the door rolled up and they drove in, the door sliding close behind them. Logan drove around a corner and parked.

Ororo took in the sight before her. The large warehouse was in fact a hangar, complete with several planes, helicopters, and land vehicles including a HumVee, motorcycles, ATVs, cars, trucks and SUVs. One of the SUVs pulled away from its parking space and came to park in front of them.

Ororo couldn't believe her eyes when she saw her father sitting in the driver seat. He exited the vehicle and motioned for them to follow suit.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Daddy?"

"I'll explain later," her father said, giving her a quick hug and kiss, "Right now, you and Logan need to head to the airport. Luke, you come with me." Without another word, he turned and walked toward the large, black jet idling in the middle of the room.

"Man, I didn't know you rolled like this," Luke told Logan, looking back at him after watching Ororo's father walk away, "You could have told a brotha."

"I don't. I just know who to call when I get in a tight spot," Logan replied, "Now go, we'll be in touch."

"Lo, what if," Luke began and Logan shook his head.

"No what ifs. Have faith and say a prayer. We'll see you soon," Logan told him before joining Ororo in the SUV.

Logan pulled out and headed back to the interstate.

Ororo looked out the window, not sure how to take what just happened.

"You okay?" Logan asked, increasing his speed after merging onto I-85.

"I am. It was just a shock to see Daddy there," she replied, looking over at him, their eyes meeting briefly. "To be honest, I'm not surprised. When he made the transition from soldier to lawyer, I think he missed the life and had to find a way to fill the void."

"I've been there. That's the reason I'm in the security business. Once a soldier, always a soldier."

"So, what's the plan?" she asked after a few minutes of silence, as they took the Clairmont exit off of I-85, heading toward the Airport.

"There isn't one," he replied honestly, pulling into the airport, "The goal is to make sure we all go home in one piece," Logan said, turning into the Airport's driveway, "Creed is unpredictable. All we can do is go in and play it by ear."

Logan parked the car, "Ready?"

"As I ever will be."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

They exited the vehicle and walked slowly toward the hangar, keeping a close eye on their surroundings.

"I see you know how to follow directions," Creed said as he stepped into the light, looking at his watch, a gun pointed in their direction.

"I do my best. Where's Jess and Jasmine?"

"In a safe place," Creed replied, "But first things first, I need your phones, watches, and other electrical trinkets."

"You didn't tell us we were going for a plane ride," Logan said, nodding toward the idling plane, as he slid his phone over to Creed.

"I didn't want to spoil the surprise. Now, slowly, make your way over to the plane. And no funny stuff, missy. Remember, I'm still holding my ace," he sneered as he watched them walk up the cargo lift.

"Jess," Logan said, walking over to her. One of her hands was handcuffed to the frame and the other held Jasmine who slept peacefully on her mother's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Logan said, touching the bruise on the side of her face.

"Considering the circumstances, as much as I can be. I finally got Jasmine to go to sleep," she said, tears forming in her eyes, "Oh my God Logan, I…"

Logan pulled her to him, holding her as she stifled her sobs against his shoulder, mindful of not waking the baby.

Ororo watched Creed as he joined them and hit the button to close the lift door.

"Aww, what a touching reunion. You may want to sit down. They forecast calls for bumpy ride," he said, taking a seat near the door and pressing a button, "Take off, baby."

"Why are you doing this?" Ororo asked Creed.

"I know you are a big time lawyer, use to controlling a room but this isn't a courtroom, so if you don't want a hole in your body, sit the fuck down and shut the hell up. I will let you know when it time to talk. Got it, bitch?" Creed growled at her, "Better yet, put this on." Creed threw her a pair of cuffs. "Now, you cuff yourself next the two bitches or I shot the baby. Your choice."

Logan looked up when he heard Creed speak and whispered something to Jessica and made his way over to Ororo.

"Don't let him get to you," he whispered, touching her arm.

Creed tossed him some shackles. "Aww ain't that sweet. You got you another one. I'm going to enjoy hurting this one like the other," Creed said crudely.

Logan growled and his claws shot out. "Watch it, runt. I still got a gun on the bitches over there," he told him. Logan retracted his claws and glared at his nemesis.

"Now, that's better," Creed told him.

Ororo didn't speak. She walked over and handcuffed herself next to Jessica. Jessica gently bumped Ororo, causing her to look at her. Jessica gave her a slight smile that turned into a wince because of her bruised face.

"I'm sorry you're experiencing this," Ororo told her in a hushed whisper.

"How's Luke?" Jess asked.

"Not doing too well," Ororo told her truthfully, causing Jess to tear up again, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"No. It's my fault. I shouldn't ask a question if I wasn't ready for the answer."

"That's right, Jess. You should never ask a question if you're not ready for the answer," Creed said.

"What in the hell are you talking about Creed?" Logan asked.

"He was referring to whether or not Ororo was ready for the answer to her question," Damion said as he stepped through the cockpit door.

"Damion?" Ororo said, looking at him in surprise, "But why?"

"Imagine my surprise when I learned that the mutants I have spent the last 10 years of life trying to find was right under my nose for the past three years," he said walking over to stand in front of her, "And equally surprising was the fact that I was banging the daughter of the man who killed my father. Talk about irony."

"But how did you…" Ororo started.

"Oh, how did I end up partnering with my friend here? Remember Delilah? Well, she knew a friend who knew somebody and yadda yadda yadda," he replied, looking over at Jess before looking back at Ororo, "Turns out my piece on the side was my soul mate. She hates mutants as much as I do. Funny how we turned to a mutant to help us get back a mutant."

"You might want to hold him back for this part," Damion told Creed.

"Nah, you may want to duck for this part," Creed told Damion, pointing the gun at him and pulling the trigger.

Ororo looked away as she felt the spray of Damion's blood on the side of her face. She felt a pang in her heart at his demise. She said a quick prayer for him and turned back when she heard Creed speak.

"Now, that's better. Can't stand working for a mutant hater," Creed said nonchalantly, "Especially when he thinks he's running the show."

"Now what, Creed?" Logan asked, "Damion's dead. Why do you need us anymore?"

"You know what? You're right. Thanks runt for the idea," Creed told him, throwing him a set of shackles to put on, "Shackle yourself to the frame."

"And if I don't?"

"Well now, do you really want to have two dead women on your conscience in addition to the one you lost before?"

Logan reluctantly shackled his arm to the frame.

"And I know what you're thinking, runt," Creed said, unlocking Jess's cuffs, "I know they can't hold you but they can slow you down."

He turned to Ororo and unlocked her cuffs. "Both of you, go stand over near the cargo door."

"Why?" Jessica challenged.

"Bitch, don't give me no lip because I will shoot your kid and then shoot you. Now take your asses over to the cargo door like I told you," Creed growled.

Jasmine whimpered as her mother moved toward the door. Creed went over to the controls and pressed the button to lower the cargo door.

"Creed, what the fuck are you doing?" Logan yelled jerking on the shackle.

"I'm letting the trash take itself out," he replied, the gun trained on the baby, "Now Jess, it seems that you and your bastard child are no longer needed. I'm going to give you a choice. Hot metal or free fall. You have two seconds to decide."

Jessica looked at Logan with pleading eyes. "Don't look at him because if he pulls that shackle or tries to cut it, your decision is made for you," Creed told her. Seeing her move, Creed told Ororo, "Princess, don't you move."

With a look at Ororo, Jessica fell backward, making her choice. Ororo screamed "No" and took off after them, ignoring Creed's warning.

Creed, anticipating her actions, fired two shots, one hitting her in the shoulder, the other in the thigh. She fell to the ground, stunned. In her haze, she heard Logan yell her name and heard a commotion behind her. Shaking her head to clear it, she crawled to the end of the cargo door and fell into the open sky. She called up a wind and rode it hard, trying to catch up with Jess and the baby. When she had closed the distance between them, she called up a gentle wind to catch them.

She pulled them to her.

"Are you okay?" Ororo asked, wincing at the pain in her shoulder as Jess clasped it.

"I'll tell you when we land," Jess said, noticing the blood, "Oh God, you're shot."

"It's just a flesh wound," she told her, wincing again.

"It needs pressure," she told her as the black jet hovered nearby.

Ororo flew them to the open door and was met by Luke and her father. Luke gathered his wife and daughter in his arms and cradled them, all of them crying.

Ororo's father caught her as she started leaning, the pain and burning in her shoulder and leg, sapping her energy.

"Logan's still up there," Ororo said as her father took her in his arms and carried her to the infirmary.

"Don't worry about that. We have a team dispatched for him," he said, lying her gently on the gurney, "Hank's going to put you under so he can fix you up. Everything will be fine when you wake up."


	21. Chapter 21

EPILOGUE

Ororo looked up into the blue sky and sighed deeply. Much had happened in the last two months and she was happy that things were finally getting back to normal. _Normal? Not the best word to use_, she thought smiling as she floated down the stairs of her father's mountain home. Tired of being cooped up in the house, Ororo decided to head down to the gazebo to gaze out at the water, sparkling under the midday sun.

She was careful not to jostle her arm which was still in a sling. Her leg was feeling much better and she was finally able to put some weight on it, though Hank warned her to take it easy. She touched down in the grass half way to the gazebo, wanting to feel the earth beneath her bare feet. Sighing again, she favored her healthy leg as she slowly made her way down the rest of the walkway.

Taking a seat on the bench, she looked out, seeing but not seeing the lake in front of her. Her mind went back over the events that took place over the last few months that threw her life into a whirlwind.

Damion's faced crossed her mind's eye and she felt a tear sliding down her face. Wiping the tear away, she lowered her head and had a moment of silence in remembrance of him. Though his actions lead to some really tough moments in her life, she had loved him and still missed him. She knew that time would heal the wound he created through his actions and those of the others whose help he enlisted.

She was thankful that things worked out the way they did. She was especially thankful for the safe return of Jessica and Jasmine. She had fallen in love with always smiling baby and was honored that Luke had asked her to serve as the baby's godmother, which seemed right since she was dating Jasmine's godfather, Logan.

She smiled at the thought of him and was thankful that he too came out of the ordeal unscathed. He was sitting at her bedside when she the anesthesia wore off. He smiled down at her and kissed her hand. He stroked the side of her face with his bandaged wrapped hand. When she asked him what happened, he told her she wouldn't have to worry about Creed anymore.

A month after the ordeal, as her mother called it, her father held the event he was planning. It turns out that it was a congratulatory party for Ororo's promotion and Oliver's baby news and pending move home.

_Their father decided to surprise both of them with things he knew they would enjoy. He gave Oliver a small box with a set of keys to his new home, a block away from their parents' house. Oliver was surprised and appreciative of the gift. He was also surprised to learn that his wife Shelia and his mother were secretly involved and had picked the house. Oliver asked his wife if she was happy with the place and she nodded. "That's all I need to hear," he told them, hugging her tightly, then hugging his mother and his father._

_ Ororo stood on the other side of the room and smiled at her family. She was happy for her brother but at the same time, was a tad bit disappointed. She initially thought Logan wouldn't make the party because a job he had to finish but he has a surprise for her as well. _

_ "Hey. Where's Logan?" her brother had asked, falling in step with her as they may their way over toward the stage as their father directed._

_ "He had something he had to take care of tonight, so he's not coming," Ororo told her brother._

_ "Bummer," he replied, putting an arm around her shoulders, "That's okay. You can party with your big bro."_

_ "Whatever O. You're leaving soon as you can get away so you can go check out your new house," she replied, getting a grin in response._

_ "You know me too well, sis," he replied, "That was the plan but Dad made me promise to stay for a little while."_

_ "Really? I wonder what he has planned?" _

_ "He didn't say but I'm guessing it's something for you."_

_ "Why would it be? I got my surprise already," Ororo replied, looking over at her father as he approached the mike._

_ "You know Dad," Oliver said, putting his arm around his wife, "He always has something up his sleeve."_

_ "Well as you know, this gathering tonight is to celebrate major milestones in the lives of my children. Since I've already shared my son's great news, it's time for me to share my daughter's," her father started, looking down at her, "As you know, she just made partner at the family law firm. And if you know her boss, you know he's a hard man to work for." People chuckled, knowing her father's reputation._

_ "But what some of you may not have known about her was that she is a serious Ne-Yo fan," he replied, looking back at her, "So baby girl, congrats on the promotion. Ladies & gentlemen, I present to you Ne-Yo!"_

She smiled at the memory of seeing her favorite artist take the stage. She stood and leaned against the banister, allowing the memory to continue.

_"Ms. Ro, thanks for being a fan and I dedicate this song to you," he told her, as the opening bars of _Let Me Love You_ began. She was so into the song that she didn't realize that Logan had arrived and had taken her brother's place beside her. When the song finished, she cheered along with the others. As the cheers died down, she heard Logan's voice._

_ She turned to him and was startled to see him down on one knee, holding a beautiful blue diamond solitaire in a platinum setting._

_ "Ro, I love you and don't want to be without you. Will you marry me?" he asked simply._

She smiled at the memory and wiped away the tear that slid down her face.

_There was only one word that came to mind… _

"Ro, you know you shouldn't be on that leg," Logan told her, interrupting her thoughts as he joined her in the gazebo.

"Hank told me I could if I didn't overdo it," she replied, wiping her eye before she turned toward him,

"Hey, you okay?" he asked concerned.

"I'm fine," she replied, turning toward him and wrapping her arms around his neck, "I was just remembering a very short but sweet proposal made by this guy I know."

"Really?" he asked, "Whose the guy?"

"Hmm," she said, "He used to be my knight in shining leather."

"And what happened?"

"He decided that he wanted to be something else, I guess," she replied, kissing his cheek.

"Nope, not the case at all," he replied.

"Oh really? Why not?"

"Well, I have it on good authority that he wanted to put a ring on it so other's will know you were spoken for," he replied, making her laugh.

"So does that mean I'm still a D.I.D.?" she asked.

"For me, you will always be a D.I.D.," he said, putting his arm around her waist and taking her hand in his, beginning to sway gently, "Because it gives me an excuse to always come to the rescue."

He leaned down and kissed her lips gently. Their eyes met as he pulled away. She smiled at him and before she could speak, Logan placed his hand on her face and pulled her in for another kiss. She was ready for him and responded passionately.


End file.
